Some 14m citizens tested in citywide screening
More than 14 million Shanghai residents have conducted COVID-19 antigen self-testing since Saturday, which will continue on Sunday to quickly detect positive cases.
Shanghai has launched a new round of screening by both nucleic acid testing in key areas and antigen self-testing for non-key area residents over the weekend.
"The blending of PCR and antigen self-testing can enhance the screening efficiency and find hidden infections in time," said Wu Qianyu, an official with the Shanghai Health Commission.
Some positive cases were detected through the antigen self-testing on Saturday, who received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing immediately and had been under put quarantine before the result came out, Wu said.
Residents are reminded to report to the neighborhood or village committees and wait at home if testing positive with antigen kits. Medics will come to arrange a nucleic acid testing for a double check.
The nasal swab, sampling tube and test card should be put inside a sealed bag after testing. If tested positive, the waste should be handed over to medics for special treatment, Wu said.
Shanghai reported 45 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 2,631 local asymptomatic infections on Saturday. Five confirmed patients are previously asymptomatic infections.
Twenty-three confirmed patients and 2,363 asymptomatic cases were detected during central quarantine, while the rest were found in the screening of high-risk people, according to Wu.
1578 Hongmei Road S. of Minhang District and 1811 Xuefu Road of Jinshan District have been downgraded to low-risk areas of the city, taking the total number of medium-risk areas in Shanghai to 17.
Since the COVID-19 resurgence in Shanghai on March 1, 53 children under six years old tested positive, 6.4 percent of the total confirmed cases.
Another 252 children were confirmed as asymptomatic cases, 2.6 percent of the city's total, Wu said.
All the child patients or asymptomatic cases are under quarantined treatment at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center under special care, she said.
Every child has customized treatment plan, while the hospital will keep contact online with their parents, Wu said. Senior professional physicians will check their conditions every day.
The Children's Hospital of Fudan University has dispatched experienced medical teams to the center to support the pediatric wards and take care of infants.
Other designated hospitals have decorated the wards with cartoon paintings and let children of the same age live in neighboring wards to relieve their fear and anxiety. The hospitals have also prepared painting classes, handcraft workshops and tools for the study and entertainment of the children.
12345 hotline under pressure
The city's comprehensive citizen hotline 12345 has received more than 850,000 calls from local residents since March 1, including 35 percent related to the COVID-19 epidemic, said Zhang Aifen, an official with the hotline.
The hotline is offering 10 foreign language services along with sign language video around the clock.
The hotline has added about 200 staff working at home to relieve the high pressure operation, Zhang said.
Citizens are suggested to leave a voice message or send their inquiries through the 12345 website, app and Wechat app if the line is busy.