Shanghai's COVID cases continue to dwindle, but control measures cannot loosen

Shanghai continued to see a drop in newly confirmed COVID cases, while antigen and nucleic acid tests remain key to identifying new infections, authorities said on Saturday.

The city reported 253 locally-transmitted COVID cases and 3,961 asymptomatic carriers on Friday, with an additional 13 deaths from COVID registered on the same day.

The first six days of May saw 29,742 new infections in Shanghai, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.

Among them, 54.1 percent were uncovered in locked-down areas, 28.8 percent in concentrated quarantine facilities screenings and 7.7 percent in key venues in closed-loop management. These three sources claimed more than 90 percent of all new infections.

Urban villages and old neighborhoods have exhibited a higher risk of COVID infections, as were evidenced by the number of newly reported positive cases. The suburban Jinshan, Fengxian and Songjiang districts reported relatively fewer cases, Zhao said.

The mobilized population is among the most vulnerable to infections, such as epidemic prevention workers, community volunteers and takeout and parcel deliverymen.

Zhao said the epidemic prevention and control work in Shanghai is at a critical stage and any slackening can not be tolerated.

From May 1 to 6, Shanghai has conducted 57 million nucleic acid tests and more than 100 million antigen tests, according to official figures.