Shanghai steps up virus fight

The Shanghai government announced that all residents will undergo antigen tests on Sunday and citywide mass nucleic acid testing will begin on Monday.

Shanghai recorded 8,226 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections, including 438 confirmed cases, on Saturday.

Wu Qianyu, a Shanghai Health Commission official, said the city had more than 10 hospitals, including the makeshift ones, to receive and treat COVID-19 patients.

"In the meantime, multiple large public facilities have been constructed so that all infected people receive treatment at designated medical venues," she said, adding that at least 15 hospitals have sent medical staff to help with treatment at the sites.

The Shanghai Guanghua Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine was asked to take responsibility for the treatment of patients at a fangcang. The makeshift facility in Changning district was converted from a music hall. Shanghai Guanghua Hospital organized 76 medical workers and the makeshift hospital started receiving patients on Saturday.

Groups of medical workers have also been dispatched from at least nine provincial-level regions to Shanghai to assist with epidemic control work.