After six new cases, Wuhan plans to test all 11 million residents for coronavirus [View all]

[Dennis Donovan]

Source: WaPo

By Anna Fifield

May 12, 2020 at 4:38 a.m. EDT

Authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan plan to test all 11 million residents for covid-19 by the end of next week, in a massive push to extinguish any remnants of the coronavirus from the original epicenter of the global pandemic.

The all-encompassing mission — announced Monday and paid for by district governments — contrasts with shortages of testing kits in some other countries, including the United States, where people have complained about not being able to get a test despite having coronavirus symptoms.

But the scope of the endeavor underscores official sensitivities about any new flare-up in Wuhan, where the virus emerged in a market late last year. It comes after officials reported six new coronavirus cases in two days, confounding health experts after a 35-day streak without infections.

“It is important to realize that a decisive result does not equal a decisive victory, lowering the emergency response level does not equal lowering defenses,” said Wang Zhonglin, a top official in the Communist Party in Wuhan, according to the state-run Changjiang Daily. “We must not be careless or lax,” he told a video conference of officials called to respond to a sudden spate of cases in the city.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/after-six-new-cases-wuhan-plans-to-test-all-11-million-residents-for-coronavirus/2020/05/12/9e245722-9411-11ea-87a3-22d324235636_story.html

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Cautionary tale for the Red States - hope Dr F brings this up today.