A Wuhan doctor believes that long testing may decreases the chances of a patience survival. Hence, Dr Zhang Xiaochun seeks the support of social media to accelerate coronavirus testing.
Dr. Zhang has initiated a social media drive to make screening simpler for coronavirus. It gained wide support from the public urging action to get faster results. The doctor commented on a report that it is needed to be expedient with the worsening epidemic.
The toll from the ravaging coronavirus has infected 40,000 people and claimed 900 lives in China. With Wuhan as the ground zero for the virus, the lack of supplies is limiting precious treatment to patients.
A shortage of nucleic acid testing kits is another problem to detect a positive infection, but using CT scans to detect pneumonia to isolate patients is a stop gap to detect positives and treat them.
One sign of infected individuals are lesions in their lungs which could be detected through CT scan. But the testing kits are needed more than ever.
Right after the online proposal, the government include the use of CT scans in the national diagnosis and treatment plan. All doctors in Hubei were ordered to use it for unconfirmed coronavirus infections. Kits are the last option to use in order to confirm a positive result.
Fast response from the government underscores the severity of the epidemic in Wuhan where infections and deaths are prevalent. China has locked down the city of Wuhan to control the spread of the coronavirus and keep the infection from spreading anymore than it has.
Speeding up coronavirus testing will lessen the positives from getting worse and stop the virus. The contagion is passable from animals and humans with breathing complications from colds which is worse than SARS.
Yuan Xiuhua who lives in Wuhan had a fever and lesions in her lungs last January 22. She requested a test for the coronavirus, but there was a shortage of kits due to many infected. She now has diarrhea with fever and is currently confined at home. So far, she has called for medical help, but no tests can be given yet. Hence, she needs to wait.
Coronavirus-positive residents of Wuhan were placed in quarantine centers as direct by the government. Jiang Chaoliang, the party secretary of Hubei said that efforts will be done to test everyone if they are infected.
Diagnosing for positive infection is done by a nasal or throat swab from a feverish patient, with symptoms. Local centers will test the sample to detect positive infections by polymerase chain reaction.
Shortage of kits for coronavirus testing is not encouraging for everyone, threatened by the contagion. Even CT scans are not without risks due to radiation exposure. Acquiring more testing kits will be important for testing centers in China, especially Wuhan where it is grim.
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