As six new COVID-19 cases are reported over the weekend in Wuhan, China, millions of people will be tested for the coronavirus. This was after going through a strict 76-day lockdown within the Chinese city.
These cases were the first after 35 days, and none of the patients were from abroad, as reported by CNN. This triggers concern over the re-emergence of the virus from where it is thought to have originated.
In response to this, authorities will conduct a nucleic acid testing across Wuhan over 10 days, according to an emergency notice issued by local authorities and circulated by state-run media outlet The Paper.
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Workers in protective suits collect swabs from senior high school students for nucleic acid tests at Hubei Wuchang Experimental High School before the students are set to return to campus on May 6, in Wuhan, the Chinese city hit hardest by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in China's Hubei province April 30, 2020.
The nucleic acid test detects the virus's genetic code, which can be more effective at detecting the infection than testing a body's immune response, though it is easier to conduct the latter, particularly in the early stages.
The 10-day battle
Wuhan's "10-day battle" is an ambitious drive to screen and test within a short time up to 11 million people, which is greater than the entire population of Greece.
Meanwhile, Wuhan was the first city to enter into lockdown, and the government has extended great efforts to eliminate the virus within the city.
After Apr. 8, when the lockdown was lifted, the city has been gradually returning to normal, with residents finally permitted to go outside, although many businesses remain closed.
Despite the on-going economic thrusts, Wuhan became the poster child of China's effective and immediate response to the pandemic, which emerged "like a phoenix," as described by a state-backed newspaper.
This comeback of the virus has resulted in changes in the local government as reported by State Media Monday. Zhang Yuxin, the chief official of Changqing, the site where the new cases had been detected, was fired after he failed in "epidemic prevention and control work."
While there were no reported in Wuhan as of Tuesday, May 11, any major increase in numbers after the new testing will gain questions over the accuracy and transparency of the earlier figures provided by the city. The government has been facing accusations of covering up the severity of the virus in the earliest stages of the pandemic as confusions.
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Not over until it is over
Meanwhile, Wuhan is not the only city surprised with new cases. The Shulan City in Jilin province located in far northeast was put under "wartime control mode" since Sunday after 11 people were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
Another Asian country, South Korea, has also faced a setback this week. While it was previously thought to have beaten the virus, it is now confronted again with new cases detected in Seoul. The country's president, Moon Jae-in, said Sunday, May 10, that the fight against coronavirus is "not over until it's over."
Meanwhile, there are a total of 4,197,142 cases of coronavirus across the globe, with 286,669 deaths nearly five months from when the first confirmed cases in Wuhan on Decemeber 31, 2019. These figures will bloat further unless a second wave is prevented.
