COVID-19: Chinese city tests one-third of 9 mn population in 2 days after minor outbreak

As of October 12, the Chinese health authorities tested one-third of its total 9 million population in Qingdao, a Chinese port where meager outbreaks were reported last week. Across the eastern city, wide tents were stretched to establish effective testing regimes of a large-scale gathering, where even toddlers were brought by the parents for a swab test after 12 locally-transmitted coronavirus cases emerged. China's mass testing drive comes after WHO warned that administering coronavirus tests and rigorous contact tracing were the effective containment tools to control outbreaks, while herd immunity was “scientifically and ethically problematic”.

The city’s health department found as many as six COVID-19 cases only a day earlier after it reported no confirmed cases among the first  1.1 million test samples taken, initially. Later, health workers in protective gears collected close to  3.08 million samples in Qingdao by 8 am on October 12, returning the 1.11 million results simultaneously. Qingdao's health commission declared that it was aiming to test its entire population as the only resort to curb the widespread transmission, according to an AP report. 

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30 new virus cases

In a total of five days, the Chinese city conducted about one-third of its targetted 9.4 million tests, strengthening the efforts, and raising its rapid testing capacities around the entire city. According to the National Health Commission’s figures, a total of 30 new virus cases were reported across China in the previous 24 hours. This comes in the backdrop of the communist nation's declared victory over coronavirus during the National holidays as Chinese resumed travel in full fervour. Of the total cases recorded, at least 13 were symptomatic and 17 showed no symptoms. A total of 4,634 deaths from its total 85,591 cases was reported as of October 12. Last week, a COVID-19 outbreak in the northwestern city of Urumqi, west of the Xinjiang region were recorded, which the health authorities said were all imported. 

[A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus sits on a stool as masked residents line up for the COVID-19 test near the residential area in Qingdao in east China's Shandong. Credit: AP]

[A medical staff takes a swab from a child as residents wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus line up for the COVID-19 test near the residential area in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province. Credit: AP]

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(With AP Inputs)