Queue for Covid19 tests in Shanghai, China
Photo: EPA / Ansa Brazil
Despite more than two weeks of strict closure, the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai, with around 26 million inhabitants, recorded the highest daily number of Covid 19 deaths since the start of the exit restrictions on this Sunday (April 24). . There were 39 deaths in 24 hours, taking the city’s death toll to 87 since lockdown began up from 12 on Saturday.
According to Chinese authorities, most of the deaths are among the elderly suffering from chronic diseases such as high blood pressure. However, two victims were aged between 39 and 48 and five had been vaccinated against Covid19.
Despite the tight restrictions in Shanghai, nearly 22,000 new positive cases were recorded this Sunday, news agency AFP reported, adding that China’s largest city has recorded nearly half a million total cases since early March, when the current outbreak began.
Recently, images of workers in white hazmat suits sealing off apartment block entrances and entire city blocks went viral on social media, prompting questions and complaints from residents.
According to the Caixin economic channel, barriers made of thin metal sheets or wire mesh have been erected in several places by order of local authorities. The main entrances to the buildings where coronavirus infections were detected have been closed, leaving only small passageways to allow entry for pandemic prevention staff.
China, which is enforcing a strict “zero tolerance” policy towards the novel coronavirus, is experiencing a spate of outbreaks attributed to the Omicron variant, which is causing a record number of infections not seen since the pandemic began in the first half of 2020 With its extremely restrictive policies, the country has managed to limit the total number of deaths to fewer than 5,000 since the emergence of the new coronavirus in late 2019.
The new restrictions are not only affecting daily life in China, but also the global economy. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the recent lockdowns in China may cause bottlenecks in global supply chains, affecting several countries. In addition, according to the European Union’s statistical office (Eurostat), the lockdowns in China contributed to the rise in inflation in the euro zone.
Photo: DW / Deutsche Welle
Rise in cases in Beijing
On Sunday, Beijing reported 22 new infections, a number considered high by authorities. “The situation is serious, the whole city must act immediately,” Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, appealed on Saturday.
He said preliminary observations indicated that Covid19 had been spreading “invisibly” in the capital for a week, affecting “schools, tour groups and many families”.
Beijing also imposed strict controls on entering the city. Travelers must provide evidence of a negative test performed less than 48 hours ago, and people who have traveled to cities or regions where a single Covid case has been registered in the past two weeks will not be allowed to enter.
The city is conducting massive testing in areas where cases have been reported and expects more infections to be discovered in the coming days.
The official number of active infected people in mainland China is 29,531, of which 236 are in serious condition. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 200,654 people infected with the coronavirus and 4,725 deaths from the disease in China. However, the country does not consider asymptomatic cases as positive cases.
le (AP, AFP, EFE, Lusa, ots)