China's COVID testing capacity reaches 900 million a day

China leads the world in its ability to conduct COVID-19 nucleic acid tests, with peak testing capability of more than 900 million people per day, a senior health official said on Tuesday.

Jiao Yahui, director of the National Health Commission's Bureau of Medical Administration, said that as of Sunday, China has 12,400 institutions capable of carrying out COVID-19 nucleic acid tests in a total of 46.09 million pools.

While the country had already developed pool testing, a process in which five to ten samples are mixed together for more rapid processing, in 2020, it has increased capacity this year by introducing pools in which 20 samples can be mixed, meaning the testing capability has been extended to cover as many as 900 million people per day, Jiao said at a news conference.

Whenever an outbreak occurs and mass testing is required, a cross-regional help mechanism has been established so that institutions in other cities, and even in provincial regions, can assist efforts, she said.

The State Council Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism against COVID-19 recently has granted approval for use of COVID-19 antigen test kits to be used for self-testing to strengthen early detection capabilities, Jiao said.

The antigen test is a supplementary diagnostic method the mainstream nucleic acid testing to cope with the more evasive and transmissible Omicron variant, she added.