A community worker disinfects a large number of parcels bought during the June 18 mid-year shopping spree. (Photo: Shine)
Over 70 percent of Shanghai's designated COVID-19 hospitals have shut their special pandemic operations and will return to normal in batches, the Shanghai Health Commission said on Friday.
Thirty-three of the 45 designated hospitals have closed as the city's pandemic situation trends positively.
They will undergo strict environmental disinfection and quarantine of medical staff before accepting regular patients again, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the commission.
Two city-level and five district-level designated COVID-19 hospitals have already resumed normal operations. They will be followed by another seven district-level medical facilities on Monday, Zhao told the regular COVID-19 press briefing on Friday.
After the pandemic resurgence in March, Shanghai designated 11 city-level and 34 district-level facilities as special COVID-19 hospitals.
They are mainly for coronavirus patients with normal, serious and critical symptoms, as well as those with severe underlying conditions and children under 7 with no guardian.
After the shutdown, three city-level designated hospitals, including the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in suburban Jinshan District, will keep operating to receive coronavirus infections, according to Zhao.
A student takes a PCR test before sitting for a citywide exam for high school students.
All of Shanghai's city-level makeshift hospitals have also been put on hold or closed, except for the last remaining facility on Chongming Island, the commission said.
The city reported a COVID-19 infection on community level on Friday, and designated one more area as medium-risk. There are now 36 such areas across the city.
The asymptomatic patient, aged 79, lives in Zhenru Subdistrict of Putuo. He has taken two COVID-19 vaccine shots.
According to the epidemiological investigation, he had been to banks, a supermarket and a wet market in the past two weeks.
Wu Huanyu, deputy director of the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said residents must wear a mask, especially in crowded places, despite the current hot weather.
Citizens can wear disposable masks if they move around outdoors, but are advised to wear N95/KN95 masks if they have to stay in hospitals or indoors for a long time or in close contact with others.
They should not wear sun-screen masks, which provide no protection.
Wu said the outer surface of used masks have a high infection risk, so people should avoid touching it when taking masks off, and wash their hands thoroughly afterwards.
Shanghai will also keep pushing vaccinations among the elderly. About 3.7 million people over 60 have been fully vaccinated – 63 percent of the city's total senior population, said Zhao.
Apart from community clinics, vaccinations will also be available at local homes for the elderly and door-to-door for some seniors.
Local residents line up for a PCR test at a streetside testing site
