Shanghai reports first deaths in current COVID-19 outbreak

Officials say three people have died from COVID-19 in Shanghai, in the first reported deaths in the latest outbreak in China’s most populous and wealthiest city.

A City Health Commission inspector says all three were elderly, had underlying diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The deaths raise to 4,641 the number of deaths from COVID-19 that China has reported since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019.

Most of Shanghai’s 25 million residents are being confined to their homes for a third week as China continues to employ a “zero-tolerance” approach to eliminate the virus.

The Associated Press reported that although the overall vaccination rate in the country is around 90%, only 62% of Shanghai residents over 60 are vaccinated.

On Monday, country officials said that in a span of 24 hours, 23,362 people tested positive, with most showing no symptoms.

The omicron BA.2 variant, which is driving the outbreak in Shanghai, is highly contagious, it’s less lethal than the previous delta variant.