China has reported seven more deaths from COVID-19 in the locked-down city of Shanghai, a day after announcing its first fatalities from a weeks-long outbreak driven by the Omicron variant. The deaths today bring the total death toll in Shanghai to 10, with the virus continuing to spread.
Meanwhile, Beijing insists its zero COVID policy of strict lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has kept deaths low and avoided the public health crises that have engulfed much of the rest of the world. But some have cast doubt on official figures in a nation where many in their 60s and above have been reluctant to get vaccinated.
Chidozie Chima | August 29, 2024
