Shanghai reported 39 Covid deaths, 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.
The cosmopolitan business hub of Shanghai has been almost entirely locked down since the start of the month, hitting supply chains, with many residents confined to their homes for even longer as it became the epicentre of the outbreak.
China's biggest city only announced its first fatalities on 18 April, despite reporting thousands of cases each day in recent weeks.