After new cases emerged in the city after weeks, Wuhan plans to test the entire population for COVID-19. The first case of the novel coronavirus was reported in Wuhan in December 2019.
According to the state media, the Chinese city witnessed a new cluster of cases in the past week. For six weeks Wuhan hadn’t reported any cases. Because of this development, the officials have been directed to carry out nucleic acid tests on all the residents of the city. As per the official notice, the city has a population of 11 million. The notice read,
“Each district should make plans and arrangements to conduct nucleic acid tests on the entire population in its jurisdiction within a 10-day time limit.”
The move is drastic because of the emergence of a new cluster in the city after the lockdown was lifted on the 8th of April. Six new cases were reported in the last two days. All the cases were reported from a single residential compound in Dongxihu District. The new cluster has sent the authorities on alert and has caused worries for the administration. However, the department of Dongxihu District epidemic prevention and control has denied receiving any such notice.
The Chief Epidemiologist at the Chinese center for disease control and prevention, Wu Zunyou spoke to the broadcaster CCTV and said it is unnecessary to test every people in the city. He said,
“Neighborhoods without any cases don’t need to screen every person.”
China fears the second wave
Although China has been successful in controlling the pandemic so far, the fear of the second wave hangs around the neck of the country as the administration has lifted the lockdown restriction. Since the lockdown was lifted, several clusters of COVID-19 cases have been reported in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces that border Russia. As a precautionary measure, China has banned foreigners from entering China.
The city of Wuhan is called the index city for the novel coronavirus as the virus is believed to have emerged there. The first case was reported in Wuhan in the month of December. Scientists believe that the virus jumped from an animal to a human in the wet market of the city. The city of Wuhan has so far reported 3,869 deaths due to COVID-19.
Source: The Times of India
