Three Covid-19 deaths have been reported in Shanghai, the first to be officially counted since the city’s blockade began.
The three people reported on Monday included two women aged 89 and 91 and a 91-year-old man who also had major health problems and were reportedly unvaccinated. Shanghai municipal officials said the three had been admitted to hospital and were in critical condition. They died on Sunday, “after all efforts were made to save them.”
As of April 5, more than 92 million Chinese over the age of 65, including 20.2 million over the age of 80, had not been fully vaccinated.
The Omicron outbreak in the Chinese city of more than 24 million people has so far infected at least 320,000 people since March. It is the worst outbreak in China since the pandemic began, but despite the large number of cases, zero deaths have not been attributed to it. Media reports have revealed numerous deaths after people became infected with Covid-19, especially among elderly people in nursing homes, but authorities largely attribute them to major health complaints and do not count them as pandemic deaths.
At a news conference Monday, Wu Qianyu, a senior inspector of the municipal health commission, said the direct cause of the three people’s deaths was their underlying condition, suggesting authorities have significantly changed the way they attribute Covid-19 deaths.
Authorities in Shanghai reported 22,248 cases on Sunday, including 19,831 asymptomatic. Of the total number of cases, 1,414 were found outside the quarantine and isolation facilities – where all positive cases should be sent, except for those that require hospitalization.
The city has offered to look into the outbreak when there are no new cases outside quarantined buildings or areas. Reuters reported Monday that authorities have set a goal of halting the spread of the virus outside the quarantine and isolation system by Wednesday, which will allow some easing of restrictions.
There is widespread unrest among Shanghai residents complaining about food shortages and excessive restrictions, as well as companies reporting major barriers to production and supply. This has sparked rare mass online complaints and some protests.
While most cases are still reported in Shanghai, there are numerous outbreaks in China. On Friday, the northwestern city of Xi’an announced a four-day restriction on the movement of its 13 million residents, including the closure of entertainment venues and restaurants, as well as bans on leaving some of the city’s vehicles. Xian was also the site of long blockades in December in response to the Delta variant outbreak. In Swining, Jiangxin Province, authorities conducted mass tests of nearly 900,000 workers and stopped trains. On Sunday, Jilin Province lifted its blockade, but called for caution and advised residents to ensure they have enough supplies for a month if needed for future blockades.
Additional reports from Xiaoqian Zhu and Chi Hui Lin
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