China has reported seven more COVID-19 deaths 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 on Tuesday (April 19) bring the total COVID-19 death toll in Shanghai to 10, with the virus continuing to spread.
The first three people confirmed dead were elderly and had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. The seven who died on Tuesday were also unvaccinated and were aged between 60 and 101. All the dead also had illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, according to the authorities.
The patients “became severely ill after admission to hospital, and died after ineffective rescue efforts, with the direct cause of death being underlying diseases,” the commission said.