Shanghai government officials told a news conference that residents should self-test using antigen kits and report any positive results. At the same time, a nucleic acid test will be conducted citywide starting on Monday.
As the city intensifies its fight against the most difficult battle it has faced in the last two years, China dispatched the military and tens of thousands of healthcare personnel to Shanghai on Monday morning to assist with the administration of COVID-19 testing for the city's 26 million citizens in one of the country's most substantial public health measures.
An armed forces journal said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched more than 2,000 medical personnel from across the army, navy, and joint logistical support forces to Shanghai on Sunday.
Some residents queued up in their pajamas and stood two meters apart for white-suited health personnel to swab their mouths as part of nucleic acid testing at their housing facilities before sunrise.
According to media sources, healthcare workers from several provinces, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Beijing, have been sent to Shanghai, with some estimates placing the total number at around 15,000.
Various provinces, such as Hubei, Jiangxi, Shandong, and Hainan, have also dispatched health workers to the city, which comprise not only nucleic acid testing experts, but also doctors and nurses to provide care and treatment to COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals.
It's China's most prominent public health response since the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020 when the novel coronavirus was first found. The State Council said the PLA assigned around 4,000 medical staff to Hubei Province.
Shanghai recorded 8,581 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and 425 symptomatic cases on April 3, the third day of a two-stage lockdown that has been expanded to restrict nearly all citizens to their homes.
Since the beginning of the epidemic in February 2020, this was the nation's highest case count.
On Sunday, homeowners were also asked for a self-test for COVID-19 using antigen testing. While the outbreak is minor by international standards, the city has become a test case for China's elimination approach, which involves testing, tracing, and quarantining all positive individuals and their close contacts.
Residents have complained about overcrowding and unclean central quarantine centers, as well as issues obtaining food and critical medical assistance, indicating that the policy is under strain.
For the treatment of COVID-19 patients, the city has assigned roughly 10 hospitals, including temporary ones in Fang Cang.
