Shanghai reports first Covid deaths since start of lockdown

Shanghai on Monday said three people had died from Covid-19, the first official announcement of deaths from an outbreak which has plunged the megacity into a weeks-long lockdown, sparking widespread anger and rare protests.

Since March, a patchwork of restrictions has kept most of the city's 25 million residents confined to their homes or compounds, with daily caseloads regularly edging over 25,000.

On Monday city officials revealed the first deaths -- all elderly people with underlying conditions. 

They "deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital, and died after all efforts to revive them proved ineffective," the city said on an official social media account.