Kyodo News:
I'd like to know more about the virus nucleic acid testing kit. What is its daily output across China? What is the minimum and maximum daily supply? Since the outbreak, what steps has China taken to increase its virus test ability?
Wang Jiangping:
Thank you for your questions. The Chinese government has consistently attached great importance to the research, development, production and supply of the COVID-19 nucleic acid testing kits. General Secretary Xi Jinping on March 2 inspected the scientific research on COVID-19 as well as the diagnosis and treatment of the disease in his visit to two institutes in Beijing, when he learned about the progress on the fast testing kit research and application. Premier Li Keqiang stressed speeding up the development of more quick, accurate and fast testing kits. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is actively helping enterprises speed up production and meet the demand for fighting COVID-19. At present, 12 enterprises across the country have obtained a product registration certificate and have gone into production.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is mainly responsible for coordinating the production and supply of medical supplies, and here I can provide you with some data about testing kits. Since the testing kit was approved for release to the market, we have cumulatively supplied testing kits for 15.374 million people by March 5 with average daily supply reaching 341,600. Now, these enterprises have testing kits for about two million people in stock, which means there are sufficient available to fully meet the testing needs of Hubei province and other regions across the country. Thanks.
