Nucleic acid testing capacity, efficiency further improved

As sporadic outbreaks appear around the country, preparedness is fortified

China's capacity and efficiency for carrying out nucleic acid testing have been further improved so that infections can be tracked in a more timely manner and there can be a more effective implementation of a dynamic zero-COVID policy, the country's top health regulator said.

The country's testing capacity has risen to 51.65 million samples a day, 13,100 medical institutes are now able to test samples and nearly 150,000 technicians are currently engaged in such work, according to statistics released by the National Health Commission on Saturday.

A total of 37 reagents used for testing samples have been approved, while test results are generally issued within six hours, the commission said, adding that the detection strategy and method are also being optimized and promoted.

A nucleic acid test detects genetic traces of the novel coronavirus in samples and requires a series of lab procedures. It is widely regarded by the global community as the "gold standard" for identifying infections due to its precision.

Shanghai, with a population of 25 million people, has launched several rounds of mass nucleic acid testing since April 4 amid its worst COVID-19 outbreak in over two years. Medical institutes from other regions of the country have joined the city's testing teams to keep up with the sheer number of samples.

On Friday, when China Daily visited a sports center in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, medical staff were busy testing samples in nine large white shipping containers outside the venue.

The workers were dispatched from branches of the Nucleus Huaxi Medical Laboratory to alleviate the burden of testing samples in the containers, which are serving as mobile labs. The site can test more than 100,000 samples a day.

Dian Diagnostics, another medical institute, has also set up labs in the city. To guarantee accurate results, technicians are required to conduct at least three reviews before issuing final reports, according to People's Daily.

Li Jinming, deputy head of the National Center for Clinical Laboratories, told China Central Television that the country has completed about 11.5 billion nucleic acid tests since the COVID-19 epidemic first began. These tests have helped find possible sources of infection as well as the close and sub-close contacts of COVID-19 infections.

In 2020, when Beijing was dealing with an outbreak of the virus, more than 170 local medical institutes were qualified to conduct COVID-19 nucleic acid tests. Residents were able to make appointments to be tested via phone, mobile apps or WeChat mini programs.