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On Wednesday, China reported seven Covid-19 deaths in Shanghai, bringing the city’s total to 17, as authorities struggled to keep infections under control despite a grueling, weeks-long lockdown. The rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant has caused a significant increase in cases in the 25-million-person metropolis, and the government has imposed strict travel restrictions and multiple rounds of mass testing to combat the outbreak. The lockdown has had a significant social and economic impact, with residents venting on social media about food shortages and a lack of access to non-Covid medical care.
According to city officials, the seven newly reported deaths were caused by underlying conditions such as lung cancer and diabetes. Five of the patients were over the age of 70.
The patients “became severely ill after admission to hospital, and died as a result of ineffective rescue efforts, with the direct cause of death being underlying illness,” according to a statement issued by the Shanghai government.
On Wednesday, the city reported more than 18,000 new, mostly asymptomatic coronavirus cases.
Since March, over 400,000 infections have been reported in Shanghai, and the city reported its first Covid lives lost on Monday.
The official death toll remains low in comparison to reported cases, but some have questioned these figures, pointing to China’s large elderly population’s low vaccination rate.
In comparison, Hong Kong, which has a high number of unvaccinated elderly, has recorded nearly 9,000 deaths out of 1.18 million known cases since Omicron’s outbreak there in 2009.
Beijing maintains that its zero-Covid policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing, and lengthy quarantines has prevented deaths and public health crises in many other parts of the world.
The most recent lockdowns, however, have clogged supply chains, forcing businesses to halt production.
Authorities have called for the creation of a “white list” of key industries and companies so that production can resume, with over 600 firms identified for early work reinstatement in Shanghai.
Tesla “officially resumed production” on Tuesday, according to state media, after dismissing work at its “gigafactory” in the city for more than 20 days.
