Shanghai bolsters nucleic acid testing capacity

Shanghai's nucleic acid testing capacity has tripled over the past two weeks and now exceeds 3 million samples a day as the city races to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"The capacity is expected to reach 5.5 million in the near future," Liu Ping, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Economy and Informatization Commission, told a news briefing on Wednesday.

"Also, more than 260 employees with nucleic acid testing qualifications from colleges, research institutes and biotech enterprises and nearly 300 nucleic acid test operators undergoing emergency training have been dispatched to the front line to ensure the city's nucleic acid testing institutions work around the clock."

Liu said the city's reserves of nucleic acid test reagents are sufficient.

"We currently have a reserve of 13 million reagents and our maximum daily production can reach 8.85 million," he said.

The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai has resulted in more than 1,200 infections, according to official data.

In addition to screening residents in neighborhoods under closed-loop management and workers at high risk of contracting the virus, the citywide pressure on nucleic acid testing derives from the requirement that a negative test result is compulsory for all individuals traveling out of the city, taking exams and participating in meetings.

More than 200 medical institutions in the city are working full speed to provide nucleic acid testing services, including at least 50 that are open around the clock.

Some temporary testing venues have been put into operation at locations including Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station and Shanghai South Railway Station.

A recruitment notice released by the Pudong district health authority on Sunday sought 30 volunteers to join its nucleic acid testing team. Within a day it received applications from more than 200 people, including 80 qualified ones with professional certificates.

In the online notice, it said that applicants must be professionals in molecular biotechnology laboratory operations and preferably hold operation certificates for polymerase chain reactions. It reminded them that the work will be intensive.

"When society is in need, we feel motivated to come forward, especially when the need is in our professional field. It's also a matter of pride for us," said Mao Zhuo, director of Shanghai Medicilon Biopharmaceutical's biology department, who has worked as a nucleic acid testing volunteer.

Lu Taohong, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said the city's information management department has mobilized reserve resources and expanded internet capacity to ensure the smooth operation of online systems that residents use to book nucleic acid tests and check results.

Gu Honghui, director of the Shanghai COVID-19 control leadership group, said the city has not introduced a lockdown and there is no need for one so far.

"Throughout our efforts to race against the virus' spread with proactive, precise, scientific and comprehensive measures, we've strived to minimize the impact of the pandemic on economic and social development and residents' normal lives," said Gu, who is also deputy secretary of the municipal government.