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Wuhan authorities issued an order to screen 14 million people for nCoV within 10 days of the city registering six new infections in the community.
The Wuhan Covid-19 Center for Disease Prevention, the capital of Hubei province, orders all districts of the city to plan nucleic tests in 10 days and send them in before noon. The 14 million people, including permanent and temporary residents, will be assessed and screened primarily in densely populated areas.
The unprecedented move came after Wuhan, where Covid-19 started, recorded six new cases in the same Sanmin residential complex over the weekend. These are the first cases reported in the city since April 3.
The 89-year-old man in Sanmin had symptoms as of March, but was confirmed as a Covid-19 patient on May 9. The new infection caused authorities to immediately evaluate some 5,000 people in this residential area and discover 5 more cases.
Zhang Yuxin, the secretary in charge of the Sanmin area, was fired for mismanagement.
An employee checked body temperature and medical code on a passenger phone at the Hankou Train Station in Wuhan earlier today. Image: AFP.
A large Chinese epidemiologist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said large-scale testing was needed to stem the new wave of infection. “The new infections in Wuhan indicate the true risk of community infection from asymptomatic or mild symptoms. Covid-19 has started with some people,” he said. “These large-scale tests can help find potential patients and eliminate the risk.”
According to the professor, the order to evaluate 14 million people is within the country’s capacity because China’s testing capacity has been strengthened since the outbreak in December 2019.
Chairing a meeting on Covid yesterday, Wuhan Party Secretary Wang Zhonglin said the city should expand the evidence and centralize the process. Wuhan has carried out nearly a million nucleic tests as of April 29, according to the city health committee.
“We must be very aware that great achievements do not mean winning decisions. Reducing the emergency response does not mean reducing prevention,” said Wang.
China currently records nearly 83,000 infections and more than 4,600 nCoV deaths, of which Wuhan accounts for 50,339 and 3,869 cases, respectively. The city has imposed an unprecedented strict blockade from January 23 to April 8 to prevent the spread of the virus.
Dirk Pfeiffer, professor of epidemiology at Hong Kong City University, said Wuhan’s population testing plan is a positive move and that any testing error can be corrected.
“The more cases that are detected, the better,” said Pfeiffer. “Each diagnostic test will result in a number of false positive and false positive results. Therefore, this test will also miss a small number of infected people, but due to Covid-19 infection, anywhere. If determines that they are positive, will likely evaluate anyone who has been exposed, and therefore will increase diagnostic sensitivity. “
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