Shanghai Adds Record Covid Cases as Authorities Increase Testing
Shanghai Adds Record Covid Cases as Authorities Increase Testing
(Bloomberg) --
Shanghai health officials once again resisted a city-wide lockdown even as new Covid-19 cases hit a fresh record, while the country’s railway operator halted sales of passenger tickets for trips beginning April 8.
The city reported 2,269 new infections on Friday, a jump of over 40% from a day earlier, according to data from the municipal health commission. Only 38 of the new patients displayed symptoms, according to the commission. The surge pushed daily total cases in China to 5,600, according to data from the National Health Commission. That’s the most in more than two years.
Shanghai has seen case numbers grow rapidly in the past month, with scores of buildings and apartment blocks locked down and residents confined at home. While the financial hub’s officials have ruled out fully isolating the city, parts of it will be sealed off and further tested in a move some fear will plunge it into a de-facto lockdown. Frustrated residents are struggling to secure fresh food, while accessing medical care gets harder as select hospitals prioritize Covid patients and close out-patient services.
“If the city of Shanghai stops, there will be many more international freighters floating in the East China Sea, which will affect the economy of the entire country and the globe,” Wu Fan, a member of the Shanghai Covid-19 expert team, said in a press conference on Saturday.
China’s railway operator also announced on Saturday passenger ticket sales for trips from April 8 will be temporarily halted to “optimize and adjust” the train route map. The operator said it expected to resume sales from April 2.
Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, China’s top official overseeing pandemic control and prevention, on Friday asked officials to bring Jilin -- another region experiencing a surge in new cases -- to a standstill for three to five days in order to cut off community spread of the virus. During this time, officials can conduct mass nucleic acid testing, thorough contact tracing and disinfection to manage risk groups, she said during a meeting on Covid-19 prevention and control in the city of Jilin.
Following the death of a Shanghai nurse from asthma Wednesday night after being turned away from the hospital, Shanghai authorities vowed to ensure healthcare services for residents under lockdown. Health facilities shouldn’t close or restrict access to departments including emergency rooms, fever clinics and intensive care units unless absolutely necessary, officials said Saturday.
The city is also starting to roll out rapid antigen tests to a few districts, including Jing’an district. The tests are designed to supplement existing nucleic acid tests to help discover cases early.
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With assistance from Bloomberg