A staff member takes a swab sample from a woman for nucleic acid test in Huangpu district, East China's Shanghai, May 8, 2022. (Photo/Xinhua)
Eight districts in Shanghai have basically achieved elimination of COVID-19 cases in society, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Xuhui district is the latest to basically achieve zero community transmission. The other districts are Fengxian, Jinshan, Chongming, Qingpu, Songjiang, Putuo, and Jiading, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.
There are 16 districts in the city.
"Shanghai's focus of bringing down new infections and preventing a rebound is working...but we must still refine our measures and identify blind spots, including dilapidated neighborhoods and villages, make every effort to achieve zero-COVID in society, and win the battle to defend Shanghai resolutely," said Zhao.
Shanghai registered 228 confirmed cases and 1,259 asymptomatic infections on Tuesday. All new infections were discovered inside quarantine and lockdown populations.
As of Tuesday, there were 379 severely ill COVID-19 cases and another 71 in critical condition receiving medical treatment in Shanghai.
The city also reported seven COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday. The cases, aged 87.3 on average, suffered from serious underlying diseases. Only one individual had received a shot of the COVID vaccine. Their underlying diseases contributed to their death, according to the authorities.