Coronavirus: China tests nearly all 11 million people in Wuhan for COVID-19
The testing effort carried out in May targeted nearly every resident not already tested and excluded only children under age six.
Wednesday 3 June 2020 13:37, UK
China has tested nearly every one of the 11 million people in Wuhan after the city was the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic, authorities said on Wednesday.
The testing effort carried out in the second half of May targeted every resident not already tested and excluded only children under age six.
Officials said no new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed from the testing effort, although 300 people who tested positive for the virus without showing symptoms were placed in isolation.
China does not count asymptomatic cases as confirmed cases, but still requires people without symptoms to isolate until they test negative for the virus.
The pandemic is thought to have originated in the industrial city which went into lockdown for 76 days to try and stop the outbreak.
Wuhan still accounts for the bulk of China's 83,021 cases and 4,634 deaths with the disease.
National Health Commission expert Li Lanjuan said: "This is extraordinarily rare anywhere in the world.
"It not only shows confidence and determination in the fight against the epidemic in Wuhan, but has also provided reference to other cities for their prevention."
Hu Yabo, executive deputy mayor of Wuhan, said the city spent 900 million yuan (£101m) on the tests.
The mayor added it was a "totally worthwhile" expenditure as Wuhan looks to offer reassurance to its residents and people elsewhere in China, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted him as saying.
There were four new confirmed coronavirus cases in China as of Wednesday, one from abroad and three added retroactively after nucleic acid tests returned positive results.
However, the country's overall count fell by one to 83,021.
It comes as South Korea reported 49 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, continuing a weeks-long resurgence of the virus as the government defended its decision to reopen schools despite health risks.
The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought national totals to 11,590 cases and 273 deaths.