CHINA reported seven Covid-19 deaths in Shanghai today, raising the death toll to 17 in the city as authorities struggle to rein in cases despite a gruelling, weeks-long lockdown.

The fast-spreading Omicron has driven a huge spike in cases in the metropolis of 25 million people, and the government has imposed tight movement restrictions and multiple rounds of mass testing to combat the outbreak.

The lockdown has taken a heavy social and economic toll, with residents voicing their fury on social media over food shortages and lack of access to non-Covid-19 medical care.

The seven deaths were cases with underlying conditions such as lung cancer and diabetes, said city authorities. Five of the patients were people over the age of 70.

The patients “became severely ill after admission to hospital and died after ineffective rescue efforts, with the direct cause of death being underlying disease”, said the Shanghai government in a statement.

The city reported more than 18,000 new and mostly asymptomatic coronavirus cases today.

More than 400,000 Covid-19 cases have been reported in Shanghai since last month, with the first reported fatalities on Monday.

The official death toll remains low compared with the reported cases, but some have cast doubt on these figures, pointing to the low vaccination rate in the vast elderly population in China.

By comparison, Hong Kong – which also has a high number of unvaccinated elderly – has recorded nearly 9,000 deaths out of 1.18 million known cases since Omicron surged there in January.

Beijing has insisted that its zero-Covid policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has averted deaths and public health crises seen in many parts of the world.

But the latest lockdowns have clogged supply chains, forcing businesses to halt production.

Authorities called for a “white list” of key industries and companies to be drawn up so production can continue, with more than 600 firms identified for early work resumption in Shanghai.

US electric car giant Tesla “officially resumed production” yesterday, reported state media, after suspending work at its “gigafactory” in the city for more than 20 days.

The resumption will happen in a “closed-loop system”, however, with staff sleeping on site and being tested for Covid-19, reported Bloomberg News. – AFP, April 20, 2022.