Wuhan to complete nucleic acid tests for all elderly care institutions before Feb 28

WUHAN - Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, will conduct nucleic acid tests for all elderly care institutions by Feb 28 as some confirmed and suspected cases were reported in the facilities, local authorities said Saturday.

By Feb 19, the Wuhan municipal social welfare institute, located opposite the Huanan seafood market, reported 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, including 11 elderly and one staff. One of the infected elderly died, according to the Wuhan civil affairs bureau.

Meanwhile, another 19 suspected cases including seven elderly were also reported in the institute.

The institute had 656 people, including 458 elderly clients and 190 staff when the outbreak occurred. All the confirmed and suspected patients were taken to quarantine sites and hospitals for treatment.

For elderly nursing homes with confirmed or suspected cases of infection, nucleic acid tests should be conducted by Saturday. Tests for other facilities without infection reports should be completed by Feb 28, the bureau said.

People with positive test results will be admitted unconditionally by designated hospitals in each district of Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province. Suspected cases will be sent to quarantine sites for observation.

Hubei province reported 366 new confirmed cases and 106 new deaths on Friday, the provincial health commission said Saturday. The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in the hard-hit province to 63,454.

The province also saw 1,767 patients discharged from hospital after recovery on Friday, bringing the total number of discharged patients in the province to 13,557.