China, which is facing its worst epidemic outbreak in two years, has confined nearly all of Shanghai’s 25 million people since early April.
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Published on 04/24/2022 08:26
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The assessment of the resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic in Shanghai increased on Sunday, April 24. Local authorities have announced the deaths of 39 people in 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 87 since the severe confinement began in the economic capital. China, which is facing its worst epidemic outbreak in two years, has confined nearly all 25 million people in the city, the epicenter of the contagion, since early April.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the country has managed to limit the total number of victims to less than 5,000 deaths and less than 200,000 infections if we go by the official figures, which are much lower than the international counts. But the Omicron variant has hit Shanghai residents hard, with nearly half a million cases since early March. Despite strict exit restrictions, almost 22,000 new infections were registered in the city on Sunday. The low mortality rate is worrying, especially as vaccination rates among elders are low.
The capital Beijing, more than a thousand kilometers away, has also reported 22 cases and warned that “urgent” measures are needed to stop the contagion. “The situation is serious, the whole city must act immediately,” an official said on Saturday, noting that the virus had spread “invisibly” in the past few days.