Daily new COVID-19 infections in Shanghai continue to decline

The daily new COVID-19 infections in Shanghai continue to decline, as the municipal government on Tuesday reported 274 confirmed cases and 5,395 asymptomatic cases for Monday, the lowest in the past month.

Also on Monday, a total of 3,981 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27,124 asymptomatic patients have recovered and been discharged from makeshift hospitals, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the municipal health commission.

The city has been carrying out nucleic acid and antigen tests for its residents during the current May Day holiday, and adjusted the risk levels of their communities based on the test results.

As of Tuesday, around 15.5 million people now live in precautionary zones, 5.3 million people in controlled zones and 2.5 million people in locked-down zones, Zhao said.

Zhao said 100 ambulances and 298 emergency medics from Tianjin municipality and Henan province have come to aid the city's stressed emergency response system, which has been receiving calls at a higher rate – around 12 times higher-than the same period last year.

As more couriers have come back to work, the city has worked to ensure the livelihood and epidemic prevention measures for residents. Yang Zhao, vice governor of Pudong New Area, said 7,000 couriers now work in the district, and it has provided four shelters with more than 1,000 free beds for them.

There are 39 nucleic acid testing sites, and six mobile testing trucks in the district where couriers can get a nucleic acid test and free antigen test kits, Yang said.