Table of contents:
- The emergence of new cases of COVID-19 in Beijing
- 1,024,298
- 831,330
- 28,855
- Get to know the nucleic acid test for COVID-19
- Who needs to have a nucleic acid test?
After nearly two months of having no new cases, the Beijing municipal government last week reported a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in its territory. Local health authorities have responded to this by mandating nucleic acid tests for people who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
The emergence of new cases of COVID-19 in Beijing
Beijing officially announced more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday (14/6). This is the first cluster of infections reported after the city took effect lockdown for nearly two months.
The source of transmission and the extent of its coverage are still being investigated. Even so, there is strong evidence that the infection originated from community activities in the Xinfadi wholesale market. The latest report says there are 67 new COVID-19 cases in the market.
To prevent a second wave of COVID-19, Beijing health authorities conducted nucleic acid tests on more than 200,000 people who visited the Xinfadi market until May 30. The implementation of the COVID-19 test involved more than 79 institutions throughout the city.
On Sunday (15/6), Beijing conducted another nucleic acid test on 75,499 samples with 59 people tested positive. If you add to the previous cases, the total cases in China have now reached 83,181 people with 177 active cases.
Currently, more than 8,000 traders in the Xinfadi market have been inspected and their condition continues to be monitored. A total of 3,852 people who had close contact with the patient were still under medical supervision, while 392 people were declared safe.
COVID-19 Outbreak updates Country: IndonesiaData1,024,298
Confirmed831,330
Recovered28,855
DeathDistribution MapAs well as detecting new cases of COVID-19, researchers in Beijing are also using nucleic acid tests to determine the origin of the virus. The coronavirus found on the Xinfadi market turned out to be an imported case from Europe.
The local government has now closed the Xinfadi market and five other similar markets. They also returned to restrict air travel after finding 17 positive cases in passengers.
Get to know the nucleic acid test for COVID-19
Some of the symptoms of COVID-19 closely resemble common respiratory disorders. On the other hand, there are also many COVID-19 patients who are asymptomatic and therefore undetectable. Therefore, special tests are needed that can detect this disease accurately.
In general, there are two types of tests used to diagnose COVID-19. The first test is rapid test or antibody test. This method does not detect SARS-CoV-2 directly, but rather antibodies to COVID-19 patients, which are formed by the immune system after being exposed to the virus.
According to the American Society for Microbiology, antibody tests can show who has been infected with the virus, but not whether the virus is still there. This test also needs to be repeated because antibodies may only have formed after the test is done.
The second method for detecting COVID-19 is a nucleic acid test. This test is done by looking at the genetic material (RNA) of the virus in the nasal and throat mucus samples. If there is RNA in the sample, it means that the virus is still there and the patient has tested positive.
Who needs to have a nucleic acid test?
Following many new case reports, the city of Beijing is expanding the coverage of nucleic acid tests to more than 90,000 samples every day. The city's disease control agency is now focused on conducting nucleic acid tests on people who are considered to be at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
Here are the criteria:
- COVID-19 patients and everyone in close contact with them.
- Patients who come to the clinic for fever treatment.
- Patients who need emergency care in hospital or suffer from respiratory problems.
- People from abroad who come to China via Beijing.
- People who just returned from Wuhan and are about to finish quarantine.
- Central and government committee employees arriving in Beijing after traveling to low-risk areas.
- Domestic arrivals in Beijing who stay at the hotel.
- Middle and high school third graders, teachers, and school staff returning to Beijing after traveling from other regions or countries.
Everyone who has just arrived in Beijing will undergo a 14-day quarantine first. After that, then they undergo a nucleic acid test to confirm the presence or absence of COVID-19 infection.
The nucleic acid test is one of the mainstay methods for diagnosing COVID-19. In Beijing or other areas with a high risk of spreading, this test is very useful for detecting new cases so that the transmission rate can be reduced.
Not only Beijing, any country could be hit by the second wave of COVID-19 if it neglects to prevent it. You can play an active role by applying physical distancing and adhere to health protocols.
