Inside Shanghai, the financial hub grappling with China’s biggest-ever COVID-19 outbreak

The situation is grim in Shanghai. The financial and commercial hub recordMPed 17,007 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, setting a daily record for the fifth consecutive day. The lockdown is extended indefinitely and the city’s 26 million residents are struggling to cope. On Wednesday, hundreds and thousands scrambled to secure food, as supermarkets downed shutters and deliveries were restricted. Yet another citywide COVID-19 testing programme in the city was announced, as officials clarified that the restrictions would continue until the results of the latest tests were evaluated. As Shanghai grappled with its biggest-ever COVID-19 outbreak, Wu Qianyu, an official with the city’s health commission, told a briefing on Wednesday that the city was in a “race against time”, reports Reuters. The single-day infection number beat the nation’s previous all-time high of 13,436 cases recorded in Wuhan on 12 February 2000, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). However, a vast majority of infected cases showed no symptoms – 16,766 are asymptomatic and 311 showed symptoms, the Shanghai public health commission said. After two weeks of lockdown, residents are on the edge, demanding that asymptomatic patients be allowed to quarantine at home. The stringent restrictions have left millions seething, as all infected patients, including children and the elderly, are forced into isolation. Anger over the lack of fresh food and curtailed movements is rising among residents. A top Shanghai official has conceded that the financial hub had been “insufficiently prepared” for the outbreak. Separation anxiety Footage circulating on social media showed infected children crying after being separated from their parents and placed into quarantine at a clinic in Shanghai. Babies and toddlers are seen placed together in rooms and cots. After facing severe criticism, Shangai eased its rule. Parents, who test negative, will be allowed to accompany their COVID-positive children up to seven years old to a temporary hospital set up at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, reports SCMP. [caption id=“attachment_10523511” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  China reported over 20,000 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic. AP[/caption] Confined inside homes The residents of Shanghai are not allowed to leave their homes except for testing for coronavirus. They depend on city officials to deliver food and basic supplies. But meeting the demands of millions is an uphill task. Official delivery channels are overwhelmed and severely backlogged. Liu Min, the vice-head of Shanghai’s commerce commission, told reporters that authorities were working hard to resolve bottlenecks. Vicky, a resident of the upscale Jing’An district, told Al Jazeera that she has food that’ll last her only for the next three days. Her neighbourhood committee dropped off a bag of vegetables but like many young Taiwanese she does not know how to cook. Messy quarantine centres China’s zero-COVID policy makes life terrifying for its residents. One foreign couple found a way around China’s Twitter ban and share its experience in a Shanghai quarantine centre – there was no running water, the shared toilets were “disgusting”, and there were no toilet papers or towels.

So, it’s happened. I got #COVID in #Shanghai. Waiting for CDC now to take me to hospital and @LeaningEmma to central quarantine- our life for the next three weeks ☹️

— Shane Leaning (@leaningshane) March 23, 2022

With cases rising, there’s worry over accommodating infected patients. The government is expanding quarantine capacity, converting the 150,000-square-metre National Convention and Exhibition Centre into a facility that can hold 40,000 people, reports Reuters. More hospital beds Currently, around 47,700 beds in designated and improvised hospitals are reserved for COVID-19 patients. Chen Xi, an associate professor at the School of Public Health of Yale University, told the state-run tabloid Global Times that there’s been discussion about allowing asymptomatic patients to quarantine at home. “I think Shanghai could explore this possibility. In fact, the quickly growing number of silent carriers would limit the capacity of medical institutions, exceeding the speed of construction of makeshift hospitals,” Chen said. The surge across China China reported over 20,000 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic. Until March, China had kept daily cases low with snap localised lockdowns, mass testing, and strict restrictions on international travel. But the caseload has hit thousands per day in recent weeks, with officials saying they have detected a mutation of the highly transmissible Omicron variant near Shanghai, reports the Associated Press. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.