The central Chinese city of Wuhan has reported 58 asymptomatic carriers of the COVID-19 virus after launching a 10-day campaign to test all 11 million of its residents.
The nucleic acid testing campaign aims to “stop the virus from spreading as soon as possible,” “eliminate fear and discrimination in society,” and “make orderly life return to normal,” according to local authorities. Testing began last week after the city reported six confirmed cases of COVID-19, all in the same residential complex. Previously, Wuhan had not reported a single new case in over a month.
According to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, over 1.2 million residents were tested for the novel coronavirus from May 14 to May 18.
Feng Zijian, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state broadcaster CCTV that the citywide testing could “definitely” help identify asymptomatic carriers. However, he added that it will be difficult to detect all infected patients and infection sources with a one-time test. (Image: People Visual)