Surge in infection numbers attributed to wider screening
A medical staffer in a hazmat suit walks in Puxi during the city's second phase of lockdown.
The record daily number of coronavirus infections reported in Shanghai on Friday was attributed to the wider range of screenings being conducted during the city's phased lockdown, according to the city's health commission.
More than 14 million residents in Puxi have received their first round of nucleic acid tests during Shanghai's phase-II lockdown since Friday, said Wu Qianyu, an official with the Shanghai Health Commission.
Earlier this week, some 18 million polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, twice for every citizen, were completed in the city's phase-I locked-down regions on the east and south sides of the Huangpu River.
The city reported 260 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases with mild symptoms and 6,051 local asymptomatic infections on Friday, compared with some 4,400 positive cases reported on Thursday.
"The expanded scale of COVID-19 screening is the reason for the surging number of positive cases reported in Shanghai today," Wu told the city's daily COVID-19 press briefing, which was held online due to the lockdown in Puxi.
Of all the local infections, two confirmed patients are previously asymptomatic infections. Eight confirmed patients and 5,402 asymptomatic cases were detected during central quarantine, while the rest were found in the screening of high-risk people.
An ambulance during the lockdown in Puxi.
All residents in Puxi will receive the second round of PCR testing on Sunday. They are required to remain at home and work from home through the lockdown, which is scheduled to be lifted on Tuesday morning.
During testing, residents are asked to correctly wear a mask, keep two meters away from others, as well as avoid gatherings, chatting or smoking to prevent cross infection, Wu noted.
The lockdown of the Pudong New Area, Fengxian, Jinshan and Chongming districts as well as parts of Minhang and Songjiang districts was launched between Monday and Friday. It was immediately followed by the next phase for the rest of the city in Puxi through April 5.
Since Friday, classified follow-up quarantine measures have been imposed on different areas of Pudong. The district government released a notice on Saturday saying that all Pudong areas are either listed as "locked" or "controlled" area, which means residents must stay at home or within their communities.
To guarantee medical services for residents under the lockdown, the emergency departments of all local hospitals have opened after taking full prevention measures, said Wu.
Each district has established a smooth channel between communities and hospitals to meet the demands of patients under lockdown, she noted.
A resident airs pillows.
People in severe condition can dial 120 and apply to village or neighborhood committees to go to hospital.
People needing hemodialysis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as pregnant women will be transferred to nearby designated hospitals, most of which are comprehensive hospitals with strong treatment capabilities, Wu said.
Meanwhile, Shanghai has approved 76 Internet hospitals, including city, district and community-level hospitals and some non-public medical institutes, to offer consultation, prescription and medicine delivery services during the lockdown, according to the commission.
The business at local Internet hospitals has increased by about 80 percent since the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai in early March.
These online hospitals have deployed additional personnel as well as service hours and contents to meet the rising demands. Some have opened online specialist or expert clinics.
Local village and neighborhood committees can collect information from residents seeking medical services and coordinate with area designated hospitals in serving the residents, Wu said.
A traffic policeman on patrol.
In addition to public hospitals, local private hospitals, international hospitals and blood centers also actively participated in the grand nucleic acid testing to help solve manpower shortage.
A dozen medical staff from Shanghai United Family Hospital have gone to communities for PCR sample collection. The team includes several international employees.
In addition to serving the community, the hospital's medical operations remain during the current lockdown in Pudong and Puxi starting from March 28, officials said.
Its emergency department received a 56-year-old Japanese man from a locked-down community in Puxi on Thursday. The man suffering from chest pain was transported there by an ambulance.
Hospital officials said it has contingency plans to deal with medical emergency to ensure the safety of both patients and medics.
"The patient said he had chest pain for days and the pain became serious in the morning," said Li Xiaoguang, director of the hospital's emergency department. "Upon his arrival, medics with protective uniforms will carry out emergency surgery as per the contingency plans."
The patient arrived at 2:17pm and was sent for emergency treatment at 3:20pm. He was sent back to a ward with negative air pressure after two stents were implanted to open blockages in the arteries. A negative nucleic acid report was released on 6:30pm.
No matter if a patient has a nucleic acid report or not, doctors with protective measures will carry out treatment at first, medical staff have reassured the public.
Medics from Shanghai United Family Hospital wearing protective clothing conduct emergency treatment on a Japanese patient with chest pains.
Medics from Shanghai United Family Hospital support PCR testing in communities.
