First modification:
Health announced more deaths in the metropolis that is under strict confinement weeks ago despite complaints from citizens. The casualties reported today bring the figure to 87 since the beginning of the confinement that is part of the “Covid zero” plan promoted by the Government of China.
The outlook does not improve in the crowded city of Shanghai, the second largest in China, after this Sunday the National Health Commission made official the 39 new deaths due to the omicron wave that has hit the Asian giant for a little more of one month.
Despite being subjected to an unbreakable confinement -which has been minimally relaxed in recent days- that forced the confinement of approximately 25 million people, the number of deaths since the confinement has already reached 87 and amounts to 4,725 counting since the beginning of the coronavirus.
The abrupt increase in positive cases set off the alarms of the national authorities that apply a strict policy that aims to achieve “covid zero”, but which, on the contrary, for now has not managed to quell the outbreak caused by the omicron variant. The current contagion figures were not seen since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
The inhabitants have manifested themselves fed up with the severe confinement imposed by the rulers. The measure includes even the closure of streets with fences or the blocking of the entrances of residential buildings where infected citizens were found.
The situation in Shanghai is completely adverse compared to the other locations involved: of the 1,580 cases reported by Health, of which only 14 are imported by civilians who arrived from abroad, 1,401 are Shanghainese.
The second section with the worst numbers is Jilin, a northwestern city that only has 60 positives. Further down are Heilongjiang with 26 and Beijing with 22.
Although their numbers are low, in the Chinese capital there is fear after the deputy director of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Pang Xinghuo, affirmed that in the last week the rate of community spread escalated and implicated schools, tourist groups and families.
“There are infections that had been hidden for a week,” Pang said. In turn, he reported that massive tests are being carried out in the areas that have reported the most cases and that they expect more to be detected within the week.
Meanwhile, 20,285 asymptomatic cases – only 55 foreigners – were also discovered, most of whom are from Shanghai. However, the Chinese government does not count asymptomatic patients as positive until they show symptoms. And there are 437,249 close contacts that are being monitored.
In total, the active infections in mainland China are 29,531, with 236 of them in a critical state. Since the start of the pandemic, 200,654 people have been infected and 4,725 have died.
With EFE and Reuters
#Shanghai #authorities #report #deaths #Covid19