Not necessary to test everyone: leading epidemiologist
Global Times
Source:Global Times Published: 2020/4/23 12:32:27
A leading epidemiologist has said it is not necessary to conduct a COVID-19 test on everyone, as China calls for testing ability to be boosted and testing scale to be expanded amid the recent reemergence of COVID-19 epidemic in some provinces.
It is very necessary to expand the detection range and find patients as early as possible, but nucleic acid testing is not necessary for everyone, said Wu Zunyou, an epidemiologist from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the risk of infection from inbound and quarantined persons and other regions in China remain relatively low, Wu believes that it is not necessary for everyone to undergo nucleic acid testing.
Wu said a risk assessment can be done before receiving tests. Those from high-risk areas, overseas, and people with history of close contact with infected people should receive a COVID-19 test.
On Wednesday, China's Central Leading Group on Responding to Novel Coronavirus Disease Outbreak called for COVID-19 testing ability to be boosted and the testing scale to be expanded.
The group said early detection in epidemic control is important and the acceleration of testing capability and expansion of testing scale not only facilitates a targeted prevention strategy and ensures people's health, but also helps ensure safe population flows and resumption of work and production.
The recent domestic cases have mostly occurred in Northeast China's Heilongjiang and South China's Guangdong Province, and were related to imported cases from overseas, and most of these cases were discovered while they were under quarantine, according to Wu.
Wu said that China CDC is paying close attention to clustered infections, analyzing the location and cause of their occurrence. Once they find any loopholes, the shortcomings will be resolved.
Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, recently became the new hardest-hit region in China due to clustered infections caused by an imported case.
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