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This city is now China's biggest Covid hotspot; cases spiked 66% in 48 hours
China covid cases: Jilin province and Shanghai have been hardest hit by the wave driven by the omicron variant's BA.2 sub-type
Shanghai has become China's biggest Covid-19 hotspot - overtaking the north-eastern province of Jilin - Bloomberg reported after the financial hub on the country's eastern coast reported 2,676 new cases on Saturday - an increase of 18 per cent from the day before.
Cases in the city of 26 million have spiked sharply over the past three days - from a then-record 1,609 on Thursday, which prompted strict rolling lockdowns of infected neighbourhoods and apartment blocks, to 2,267 on Friday.
Authorities have ruled out a full city-wide lockdown amid fears it could 'impact the global economy' given Shanghai's role as a global shipping hub. Restrictions have been introduced though, with negative Covid tests needed for the public.
City officials have also had to deal with the death of a nurse needing treatment for asthma but who was turned away from the hospital where she worked because it was closed.
The situation in Shanghai (and Jilin province) underscores the hurdles officials face in following President Xi Jinping order to eliminate the virus and minimise the economic and social impacts of the country's 'Covid Zero' strategy.
China had largely kept the virus under control through strict measures. But its top-down approach is being questioned as the government balances controlling the virus and the economic and mental impact of restrictions.
On Wednesday, Shanghai infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong called for balancing anti-virus measures with maintenance of 'normal life'.
However, the softer approach has failed to stop cases and localised lockdowns have provoked grumbling online and a run on groceries in some districts.
China's Jilin province and Shanghai have been hardest hit by the new wave of cases experts believe is driven by the omicron variant's BA.2 sub-type.
Active cases in Jilin remain over 2,000 by some estimates, with a seven-day average of news cases around 1,500-mark.
Located on the border with Russia and North Korea, Jilin is home to around 24 million people and reported China's first Covid deaths in more than a year.
The WHO has said the BA.2 sub-variant driving spikes in China, Hong Kong, parts of Europe and the United States is considered highly infectious.
China reported 4,790 new cases on Friday and 5,600 on Saturday; these numbers are exclusive of those from Hong Kong, which tracks Covid cases separately.
With input from Bloomberg, AFP
