Chinese city to test the entire population of 9,000,000 for coronavirus in five days
The Chinese city of Qingdao is testing its entire population of nine million people for
The mass testing comes after the discovery of a dozen cases linked to a hospital treating coronavirus
patients arriving from abroad
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As of Sunday, there were six new Covid-19 cases and six asymptomatic cases, all connected to the
Qingdao Chest Hospital. Officials said the facility has been locked down along with the emergency
department of the city’s central hospital.
Buildings housing infected individuals have also been placed under virus containment measures.
In a statement posted to Chinese social media site Weibo, Qingdao’s Municipal Health Commission said six new
cases and six asymptomatic cases had been discovered.
All the cases were linked to the same hospital, said the state-run Global Times.
The Chinese authorities now have a strategy of mass testing even when a new coronavirus cluster
appears to be relatively minor, correspondents say
The National Health Commission said on Monday that “the whole city will be tested within five days”.
Some 114,862 people – including medical staff and newly hospitalized patients in the city’s hospitals –
had already tested negative, Qingdao’s health commission said.
