Ningbo ramps up virus testing

Medical workers conduct nucleic acid tests at a test site in Zhenhai district, Ningbo, on Dec 7. [Photo/Ningbo Evening News]

Many medical workers are volunteering to conduct the mass nucleic acid testing of all residents in Zhenhai district in Ningbo after three cases were reported in the city on Monday morning.

Ningbo upgraded its emergency response to the highest level at 2 am on Dec 7 and has imposed a temporary closure of the whole area of Zhenhai district. Mass nucleic acid testing began at 5 am on the same day.

According to the Health Commission of Ningbo, more than 3,500 medical workers from different hospitals around the city have traveled to Zhenhai and are participating in the COVID-19 testing work.

Ningbo Huamei Hospital was asked to organize a medical team on Monday morning when the mass nucleic testing was launched in residential community and businesses where the reported cases reside and work. One hundred and sixty-three medical staff joined the team immediately after they received the emergency notice.

Fu Xiaojun, a nurse at the hospital, was one of them. Fu said, "we collected more than 15,000 swab samples from 11:30 am on Monday to 12:30 am on Tuesday. Though we worked all night, we are still full of energy."