Caution urged in older communities as COVID-19 cases rise

Imaginechina

Shanghai saw a rebound in the number of new COVID-19 cases on Friday, mainly due to transmission at gatherings in old communities, construction sites and companies, according to the city's health commission.

A total of 2,736 new COVID-19 cases and 20,634 asymptomatic cases were reported in Shanghai on Friday, a 32 percent increase to that of Thursday, after five consecutive days of decline.

"The pandemic situation in Shanghai remains tough and complicated with a large number of new infections, mainly found in the locked-down and controlled areas, as well as the central quarantine sites," said Wu Qianyu, a senior official with the commission.

The surging number of new positive cases was mainly in five local districts – Pudong New Area, Songjiang, Baoshan, Huangpu and Yangpu, which reported 800 to 3,000 additional cases on Friday, according to Wu.

The resurgence is mainly in local communities, especially old neighborhoods where residents are still using shared bathrooms and kitchens, construction sites as well as companies, Wu noted.

She stressed all citizens within the locked-down areas must stay at home, while those in the controlled areas must avoid leaving their communities.

Local companies and construction sites that have restarted operations must conduct lockdown measures, health monitoring and screening as well as disinfection, she added.

Shanghai reported 12 new COVID-19 deaths on Friday, bringing the total since the resurgence in March to 48.

The average age of the fatalities was 88.2 years with the oldest aged 99 years. All of them had severe underlying health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease, hypertension, brain infarction and Alzheimer's. None had been vaccinated.

Their conditions worsened rapidly after being sent to hospital. Wu noted the direct causes of their deaths were their underlying diseases.

Among Shanghai's COVID-19 patients, 157 have severe symptoms and 18 are in critical conditions.