China to keep COVID-19 tests focused on certain groups, no widespread testing

While Beijing recently indicated that it will carry out widespread testing, a top Chinese health expert reportedly said on April 27 that the government will focus on testing people from high-risk group and areas. Jin Qi, president of the Institute of Pathogen Biology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said at a news briefing that people with symptoms or from infected areas are being given the priority for COVID-19 testing.

In Wuhan, the first epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the last 12 patients in hospitals were discharged after recovery on April 26 and the city has no longer any COVID-19 patients in its hospitals. However, the risk of infection remains as 974 asymptomatic carriers were under medical observation after testing positive for COVID-19.

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China has reported 82,830 confirmed cases of coronavirus with only 723 active cases according to the National Health Commission. While China has been able to flatten the curve by containing the virus, its revision of the death toll in Wuhan by almost 50 per cent raised several eyebrows when the country was still facing criticism over transparency.

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Accusations of disinformation

China’s Foreign Ministry said that the country has always stood against the disinformation campaign, calling it “victim” rather than “producer” of disinformation. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in a statement that peddling misinformation and recrimination are by no means prescription for international anti-pandemic cooperation and should be rejected by all.

“Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has earned applause from the international community for its responsibility and contribution. This could never be achieved through disinformation campaign,” Geng told reporters.

As per the latest report, over three million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with over 207,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe. The United States, Italy, Spain and France are the worst-hit countries due to the pandemic with around 62 per cent of death toll reported from these four countries alone.

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(With agency inputs | Image: AP)