TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Shanghai reported 39 COVID deaths Sunday, official data showed, its highest daily toll since a weeks-long lockdown started, while China’s capital Beijing warned of a “grim” situation with rising infections.

The world’s second-largest economy has been struggling to stamp out its worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years with a playbook of harsh lockdowns and mass testing as it sticks to a strict zero-COVID policy, taking a heavy toll on businesses and public morale, AFP reported.

The cosmopolitan business hub of Shanghai has been almost entirely locked down since the start of the month, snarling supply chains, with many residents confined to their homes for even longer as it became the epicenter of the outbreak.

China’s biggest city only announced its first fatalities on April 18, despite reporting thousands of cases each day in recent weeks.

It reported 39 more deaths on Sunday, National Health Commission data showed, bringing its total toll to 87, while the country logged nearly 22,000 new local virus cases.

Full story: tasnimnews.com

Tasnim News Agency