Local Shanghai residents queue up for a nucleic acid test at a cultural center in Xuhui district on March 12, 2022. Photo: VCG

Shanghai updated its number of confirmed local infections of COVID-19 with four and the number of asymptomatic carriers with 34 as of 2 pm on Monday. Two areas in its downtown Huangpu district and suburban Jiading district were changed to medium-risk areas.

After reporting no-more-than-a-dozen daily confirmed local infections since the beginning of March, Shanghai reported a surging number of 41 confirmed local infections in the latest COVID-19 flare-up and 128 asymptomatic carriers on Monday morning, further shadowing the epidemic situation in the metropolis with a population of over 24 million.

A total of 124 confirmed infections or silent carriers were identified during quarantine or under control and the rest were spotted in the screening of relevant personnel at high risk. 

Two more areas in the city's suburban Minhang and Jinshan districts were escalated to medium-risk on Sunday evening and two more areas in Huangpu and Jiading on Monday afternoon, bringing the total medium-risk areas in the city to 10. 

Shanghai's designated hospital for COVID-19, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, also suspended its outpatient, emergency and fever clinic services at its branch in Jinshan District since Monday to further concentrate on the treatment of COVID-19 patients. 

Besides, many residential compounds across the city have launched all-member nucleic acid testing among their residents since the past weekend with some even adopting high-tech gadgets such as drones to notify the residents for timely free tests. 

While most property management staffers and community workers address the residents through loudspeakers, some compound workers fly drones which broadcast the message.

As the high-risk venue of potential cluster infections, several universities in the city including Fudan University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, East China Normal University and Shanghai Ocean University have been placed under quasi-lockdown or closed-loop management since Sunday, following several confirmed infections were identified at the renowned Shanghai Jiao Tong University which has been locked down. 

The city suspended in-person education at local kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools as well as all kinds of training courses since Saturday after confirmed infections were reported on campus. 

According to Lu Taohong, deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, a total of 153 children are being treated at the designated hospital and another 63 asymptomatic child patients are under medical observation as of Sunday. These infant and juvenile infections with their ages ranging from 3 months to 17 years are all in stable condition. 

Shanghai has worked out special diagnosis and treatment programs for children with their treatments and dosage of medicines being different from those for the adults, Lu said, adding that most children have relatively mild symptoms and are classified as asymptomatic, mild and average infections. 

In order to curb the spillover of cases, Shanghai called on residents not to leave the city since Sunday. As of Monday, all the coach transportation services have been suspended. 

Global Times