Shanghai strives to halt ‘grim’ outbreak

Shanghai is racing against time to ensure the swift quarantine of COVID-19 patients to break the transmission link of the virus and curb the current outbreak, which has caused more than 73,000 new infections since March.

The city reported 13,354 new infections on April 5 after mass testing of more than 25 million residents, which was completed with the help of more than 38,000 medical workers from across China. The vast majority of new infections were asymptomatic and there were 268 confirmed cases.

Describing the current outbreak as “an extremely grim situation”, Gu Honghui, deputy secretary-general of the municipal government, told a news conference that the current lockdown will remain in place until analysis of all the tests is completed.