Shanghai to begin new round of COVID-19 testing on Tuesday

Shanghai registered 2,472 locally transmitted COVID-19 confirmed cases and 16,983 asymptomatic infections on Sunday, the municipal health commission announced on Monday.

The commission also said that another round of citywide testing will commence on Tuesday.

The death toll of the current outbreak has continued to rise as 51 new fatalities with an average age of 84.2 were reported on Sunday. The current death tally stands at 138.

Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the commission, said that there are currently 196 COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms and 23 patients in critical condition receiving treatment in designated hospitals as of Sunday.

Zhao added that online hospital services have grown in demand since April 1. The number of people seeking online consultation since the start of the month has been more than five times compared with the same period last year.

The municipal emergency center has also been running at full capacity as calls for ambulances have risen by 12.3 times.