Even as Shanghai reported record case numbers, China’s President, Xi Jinping, praised his country’s handling of the COVID pandemic.

Mr. Xi said some athletes thought China deserved a gold medal for its approach during an event commemorating China’s hosting of the Winter Olympics.

Infections are on the rise, and there are signs of public outrage, putting China’s zero-COVID policy under strain.

The city of Shanghai, which has a population of 25 million people, is still under lockdown.

On Friday, the city, which serves as China’s financial centre, announced a new high of 21,000 cases. Only one person was considered in “severe condition” out of 130,000 infections during the current outbreak, according to an official.

According to BBC China correspondent Stephen McDonell, the low number of serious cases has led some to question whether a lockdown is necessary.

Officials in Jilin City, in north-eastern China, announced that the city had reached “Social Zero COVID” after 33 days of lockdown. Residents in the area, however, have received no indication as to when the restrictions will be lifted.

In contrast to the rest of the world, which is attempting to live with the virus in its Omicron variant, China is one of the last remaining nations still committed to eradicating COVID.

Food scarcity

Residents of Shanghai have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with food supplies.

People in the city are confined to their homes, and the majority must order food and water from outside sources and wait for government deliveries of vegetables, meat, and eggs.

However, the lockdown extension has suffocated delivery services, grocery shopping websites, and even government supply distribution.

Several million people in Shanghai were running low on supplies, according to political scientist Dali Yang of the University of Chicago, and many were only eating one meal per day.

Elderly Shanghainese, who were more likely to live alone and use smartphones, were among the most vulnerable, he warned.

Mr. Xi said in his speech that China’s zero COVID policy had stood up to the test of the Winter Olympics.

China’s policy does not appear to be changing.

The country would “firmly adhere” to its policy, according to an editorial in the state news agency Xinhua.

“It will not be long before Chinese citizens affected by the virus can enjoy warm sunshine on spring days as things get back to normal,” it said.

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