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‘More details needed’ on Wuhan’s mass coronavirus tests
- Mandatory screening of millions of people a shot in the arm for city but authorities need to give more information about how the programme was conducted, scientists say
- No silent carriers found among 60,000-plus people tested on Sunday, health commission says
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China’s ambitious programme to test the entire population of Wuhan for the coronavirus is a boost to confidence for the central Chinese city as it gets back to business but more data is needed for scientists to understand the value of the tests, according to specialists.
The Wuhan Health Commission said on Monday that the city tested more than 60,000 people on Sunday for the coronavirus and found no cases of asymptomatic infections – patients with mild or no symptoms.
“This shows that the coordinated efforts by Wuhan to carry out nucleic acid tests are showing positive results,” the commission said, suggesting that blanket, mandatory testing programme may have helped break the silent transmission of the pathogen in the city.
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Since mid-May, authorities had collected samples from more than 9 million Wuhan residents and completed tests on 6.5 million of those samples, Hubei Daily reported last week. So far, 291 asymptomatic cases and one symptomatic case of Covid-19 – the disease caused by the virus – have been detected, according to the report.
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Scientists have warned that the coronavirus can spread quickly, especially with asymptomatic cases, or silent carriers, who can go undetected in communities.
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