Nine COVID-19 patients in serious condition in Shanghai
A new makeshift hospital at the West Bund Art Center in Xuhui District.
Nine COVID-19 patients among Shanghai's surging number of infections are in serious condition, mostly seniors with underlying diseases and without coronavirus vaccination.
Apart from a 33-year-old patient, all the other cases in severe condition are between 70 and 93 years old. They all have serious underlying diseases, such as severe immune disease, advanced tumor, severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases or organ failure, said Wu Qianyu, a senior Shanghai Health Commission official.
None of them has taken the COVID-19 vaccine, she told the city's daily COVID-19 press briefing.
They are receiving customized treatment on both the coronavirus pneumonia and their underlying disease with a blend of Western and traditional Chinese medicines at designated hospitals, Wu said.
The all-out treatment measures aim to manage their syndromes or prevent further infection while supporting organ functions, she added.
Patients are tested at a local makeshift hospital.
Most other local COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic or have shown mild symptoms. Only a few infections show normal symptoms, she added.
A growing number of elderly have appeared with infections in the city, increasing the number of cases in serious condition, Wu said.
The city has assigned its best medical resources to the senior patients. They are mainly treated at eight key designated hospitals, such as Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Ruijin Hospital's northern branch.
The city reported 2,573 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 25,146 local asymptomatic infections on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a total of 16,143 COVID-19 patients were discharged from local designated or makeshift hospitals on Wednesday after making a full recovery. They will return home and be subjected to a weeklong health observation.
Wu has said that local COVID-19 patients spend about a week on average at local makeshift hospitals before fully recovering.
She asked local district, subdistrict and town governments to streamline the transportation process, as an increasing number of patients are being discharged upon recovery.
