Wuhan's massive COVID-19 testing drive aims to eliminate fear, discrimination: govt
Global Times
By Zhao Yusha Source:Global Times Published: 2020/5/17 10:36:31
The Wuhan government on Saturday said its citywide testing aims to eliminate fear and discrimination of COVID-19 among its residents, while the cost, which was estimated at 1 billion yuan by some analysts, will be shouldered by the city and district governments. Virologists believed the massive scale of testing will make the city "a safer place."
With a population of more than 11.2 million people, Wuhan's health commission said that those who have done the nucleic acid test will not have to do it this time, and advised against testing children below the age of 6. Priority is being placed on residential complexes where there are infections, communities with many elderly residents and those which are densely populated.
Every district has different rules, Zheng Li, a Wuhan doctor, told the Global Times. In Wuchang district, where Zheng works, residents will undergo not only nucleic acid tests, but also serum antibody tests.
The Wuhan health commission said that the citywide test was launched because of daily reports of asymptomatic cases, which created anxiety among people who have resumed work. It was being conducted in order to better prepare for the city's return to normalcy, to get a clear picture of how many asymptomatic patients there are, and to cut off infection chains as soon as possible.
Even though the lockdown was lifted on April 8 and the risk level has been lowered, the city's vitality has yet to return, with many restaurants and buses still empty, Yang Zhanqiu, a deputy director of the pathogen biology department at Wuhan University, told the Global Times.
"The massive testing will make Wuhan a safer place and let the outside world know about the city's real situation," said Yang, who added that it is a sign that Wuhan is taking the initiative in fighting the virus. "It's like a war. You take the initiative, you win."
This citywide testing will help both the government and people to understand Wuhan's real infection situation, as well as lower people's cautiousness and push forward production resumption, said Yang.
"As long as we have a clear picture of Wuhan's infection, we can get a glimpse of the nationwide infection situation. Proving the authenticity of Wuhan data's will serve as a guidance for China and the global battle against the virus," said Yang.
The government said that the costs of the tests will be equally shared by the city and district governments. Some experts have estimated that the costs could reach 1 billion yuan ($150 million).
When asked if the huge cost of citywide testing will put a heavy burden on local economy, which has already been ravaged by the coronavirus epidemic, Dong Dengxin, director of the Finance and Securities Institute at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, shrugged off the concern.
The Wuhan government is likely to use some of its virus prevention expenditure allocated by the central government, said Dong. The Xinhua News Agency reported in March that the central government has allocated 62 billion yuan to help Hubei battle against the virus.
Dong said making the tests free of charge encouraged more people to take them. "About 90 percent of the city residents volunteered to test, which also shows a responsible attitude towards their families," he said.
In order to avoid large gatherings and cluster infections, people from residential compounds are being tested in strict order. Tests must be held in ventilated places, residents should wear masks, and the collectors must change or disinfect their medical gloves every time they finish collecting a sample, according to the Wuhan government.
Zou Furong, a resident of Baibuting community, told the Global Times that residents can only go for testing after being notified by the community. "The testing was well organized. The medical workers constantly reminded us to keep a 1.5-meter safe distance, and they constantly disinfected the place while we were waiting," said Zou.
He added that the test took no more than five minutes. "Everyone is fully equipped to avoid infection. Now, Wuhan people are on high alert. After what we have been through, Wuhan people are very cautious."
The Wuhan government said it will be strict in its selection of testing agencies in order to ensure accurate results, while the city and district governments also vowed to set up quality control groups to supervise the results.
It also said the residents' nucleic acid results will be stored safely in an independent system with strict login requirements to ensure residents' information security.
The government will notify residents who have tested positive and take immediate measures. Those who have tested negative will not be notified, said the Wuhan government.
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