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

[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.

[bullimiami]

1. china can test 11 million people in a week? i thought we were the "best" with our 8 million total...

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Trump turned down their tests and their process. He turned down everybody's test and process.

See, he doesn't have to have the best tests. He just has to say that he's a winner in the test competition.

[SunSeeker]

2. Wish we could do that.

[Ford_Prefect]

3. Someone should ask Jared on about that on camera, or better yet under oath.

Where did all the tests, the PPE, and the ventilators go? Why can't my neighbors get tested before they are nearly comatose. Why do only half the people I see at the grocery store wear masks and distance correctly? Why do the other half act arrogantly insulted when they encounter another masked shopper?

Why is the out of state traffic volume 4 times what it was 2 weeks ago? Who told all those tourists it was OK to bring it here? What do we do when the next spike happens and this time it is the grocery store clerks, truck drivers and local farmers who fill the hospitals? Who do we ask about it then?

Who will tell me they're sorry that my sister in Eastern Washington didn't get treated in time?

Who will I ask then? What will I do then?

Wait for the promised election, or the Inauguration, or the disinfection of the Capitol Building?

I'm sorry but I don't think I can manage to be that patient.



I think my Congressman and my Senators had better do something about it NOW! My questions and my neighbors' questions deserve better answers than that "the Chinese Communists didn't tell us about it in time" (Steve Daines latest election ad spewing yet more lies).

[padah513]

4. Now that's how you do it!

Test everybody and then you know exactly where you stand. Trump makes me want to do a Rip Van Winkle where I go outside fall asleep under a tree and wake up on November 2.

[marble falls]

6. They can do it but we can't. Seems I remember an American "president" promising this for us.

[McKim]

7. No Wonder He Wants Us to Hate China!

NO wonder he wants us to hate China, they are an example to the whole world!!!!

[Steelrolled]

8. I don't know how we would do that in this country.

That is 38,000 tests per hour - they must be extremely well organized.

In today's world, we would need would martial law to get anything even close to 100% participation, and I can't imagine the backlash. We have a difficult time even doing a census. We are just a much different culture than China.

[drray23]

10. its feasible.

our country is big too. 38,000 test an hour is feasible if we had a competent government who had ramped up the testing kits accordingly. Consider that not everybody would line up at one place for the testing (obviously). Those rapid testing machines could be at every doctor office, hospital, pharmacies like CVS/wallgreen, etc..

We have tens of thousands of those locations. We vote at a bigger rate than 38,000 an hour. Last election we had nearly 130 millions people vote in 12 hours. Heck, we could put these rapid testing machines at poll locations and test everybody in 8 hours if we had tests and machines.

[Steelrolled]

11. In China they are doing all of this in one city

although I imagine the tests will be processed over a large area.

The problem in the US would be participation. I doubt it would be much above 50% So many people would not see the benefit for themselves, and would blow it off. I think the attitude in China is much different.

[lagomorph777]

9. But...but...I thought it was impossible to test millions of people in a week?

[Duppers]

12. K & R