COVID-19 death toll in Shanghai rises to 17

Shanghai reported seven COVID-19 fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the death toll in the city's latest outbreak to 17.

Two of the cases that died on Tuesday were aged below 60 and had suffered from advanced lung cancer, pleural effusion, and acute coronary syndrome, the city's health authority said on Wednesday.

The other five were aged 70 or older and suffered from underlying diseases, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, highly risky hypertension, diabetes, uremia, cerebral infarction, and advanced pancreatic tumor.

Two of them were vaccinated, according to the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.

"The conditions of the seven cases continued worsening after being admitted to hospitals, and they died despite all-out rescue efforts. The direct cause of their death was their underlying diseases," said Wu, a primary inspector from the commission.

As of Tuesday, there were 52 severely ill COVID-19 cases receiving treatment at designated hospitals in the city.

Sun Xiaodong, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that elderly residents aged 60 or older account for 19 percent of the infections in the current outbreak in Shanghai.

The health authority also urged the elderly to get vaccinated as soon as possible after the lockdown of their compounds are lifted.