Following a weeks-long lockdown in Shanghai, the first COVID-19 deaths were reported by the city officials on Monday.
First COVID-19 deaths reported in Shanghai
The municipal government officials from the city of Shanghai reported the first COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the long lockdown. Additionally, they also informed that three old people with underlying conditions died from the infections. They were between 89 and 91 years old. “The three people deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital, and died after all efforts to revive them proved ineffective,” stated the officials on social media.
According to reports from news agencies, officials also revealed that the deceased were two women and a man. Prior to their deaths, they were suffering from health complaints such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease. It was inevitable “after all efforts made to rescue them”. As of April 5, 2022, over 92 million Chinese people are above the age of 65. Among them, 20.2 million above the age of 80 are not completely vaccinated.
More on the current situation
China is currently struggling to contain COVID-19 outbreaks. Multiple regions in the country are experiencing breakouts mostly due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Shanghai is one of the worst-hit regions and is under strict lockdown measures since the beginning of the pandemic. According to data from the municipal health commission, 22,248 new domestic cases were reported as of Monday. However, 2,417 are presenting symptoms. Before this, China reported COVID-19 deaths on March 19.
Shanghai is setting a target to stop the spread of the coronavirus outside the areas already quarantined by Wednesday. Additionally, the report also mentions the requirement of officials for accelerating testing and the transfer of people positive to quarantine areas. Out of the total cases, 1,414 were outside the isolation and quarantine facilities.