Massive screening of the population in Wuhan: "Avoiding a new epidemic wave"

Text by: Pierre Olivier Follow

For 48 hours now, the city of Wuhan, China, has started its massive screening campaign. In total, almost 11 million inhabitants will be tested in the coming days. The objective of such screening is of course to prevent a second wave of the epidemic from raging by confining only those who test positive. Analysis by Simeng Wang, sociologist at CNRS.

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RFI: How does this massive screening take place?

Simeng Wang : It is first of all the inhabitants of 3 urban areas that are tested as a priority: those in old districts and in which unsanitary housing is found, those living in very dense spaces and finally, those who live in neighborhoods with high mobility, that is to say whose inhabitants travel a lot for professional reasons in particular. Then in the coming days, certain populations will be tested as a priority, according to a circular from local authorities. This is the case, for example, for health personnel or people who work in restaurants and canteens. Over time, the entire population will be tested.

How long will this screening take?

211 screening points were opened throughout the city. Some in public hospitals, others in private health centers. According to the first calculations, it is estimated that it takes approximately 3 minutes to carry out a sample allowing the nucleic acid test. In other words, a nurse who works 10 hours a day can test around 200 people daily. Of course, certain categories of the population have priority, but the authorities would like to have tested the entire population, i.e. nearly 11 million people, within ten days.

What is the point of this massive screening?

The whole point is to be able to target people affected by the virus in order to impose confinement on them and thus avoid a new epidemic wave. Unlike a general confinement like that which we knew in France, the massive screening makes it possible to confine only the people who are sick and thus makes it possible not to "block" the whole population. The economic cost to society is therefore lower, thanks to mass screening. A large part of the population can then continue to live almost normally.

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