Chinese city tests three million in a single day
Yesterday, we reported that the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao will test nine million citizens in five days.
This was announced within 24 hours of 12 people testing positive for Covid-19. Six are with symptoms, six are without symptoms.
Testing booths were quickly set up across the city yesterday, with medical staff carrying out swab and antibody tests from 7am to 11pm local time.
Today, state newspaper Global Times says that 3.07 million people have already been tested – a third of Qingdao’s population. Another three million are expected to be tested today.
Global Times says that “the target is to test about six million people from five districts by Tuesday, and roughly nine million” by the end of the week.
So far, 1.1 million tests have been processed, and all results have come back negative.
Hospital personnel were tested as a priority yesterday. Today, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools are carrying out tests on students and staff.
Hundreds of thousands of tests have also been carried out on people who have visited Qingdao in the last fortnight.
State broadcaster CGTN says that more than 225,000 people outside of the city have been tested, and all results have so far come back negative.
