The COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China’s largest city, remains “extremely dire” and is keeping its 26 million people in quarantine, an official said on Tuesday.
The outbreak in the city “is still at a high level,” said the director of the Shanghai task force for epidemic control, Gu Honghui, in statements offered to state media. “The situation is extremely dire,” he said.
China has sent more than 10,000 health workers from across the country to help the city, including 2,000 military personnel, and continues to mass test residents.
Most of eastern Shanghai, which was supposed to open on Friday, was still under lockdown along with the western half.
Shanghai confirmed another 13,354 cases on Monday – the vast majority asymptomatic – bringing the total to more than 73,000 since the wave of infections began last month. No deaths have been attributed to the outbreak, fueled by Omicron BA.2, much more contagious but also less deadly than Delta.
Another outbreak continued to spread in the northeastern province of Jilin. The capital, Beijing, also registered nine new cases.
The rate is much lower among the elderly, with only about half of those over 80 having completed their vaccination.
Concerns are growing about the possible economic impact of the lockdown on China’s financial capital, which is also a major manufacturing and logistics hub.
Most public transport is suspended and non-essential businesses are closed, although airports and train stations remain open. Both the port and some major industrial centers, such as car plants, remain operational.
