China's Hubei province, the coronavirus outbreak epicentre, has started usi...
FILE PHOTO: A worker in a protective suit examines specimens inside a laboratory following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province, China February 6, 2020. Picture taken February 6, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS
Reuters reported last month that a lack of RNA test kits in Hubei capital Wuhan may have delayed patients from being properly diagnosed and treated, contributing to the spread of the virus in the early days of the outbreak. The move could significantly shorten testing time and allow more prompt treatment in the province, doctors and epidemiologists said. Previously, China’s health authorities had a stricter rule for identifying such cases, and patients were often denied access to be treated full-time without RNA tests that could take days to process.
“As we’re facing the shortage of virus test-kits in Wuhan and other virus-stricken areas near it , current case-confirming procedures cannot meet the requirement of diagnosis and treatment,” he said, adding the quality of reagents and proficiency in sample retention could also affect the accuracy of the test results.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Coronavirus live updates: China's Hubei province reports 70 additional deathsAs of Wednesday, more than 19,600 cases of coronavirus have been reported in China's Hubei province, resulting in 549 deaths.
Read more »
China may delay annual meeting of parliament due to virus outbreak: sourcesChina is considering delaying the annual meeting of its top legislative body, fi...
Read more »
Coronavirus live updates: Mnuchin says coronavirus won't hurt China trade deal, Yum warns on virus hitAs of Thursday, more than 28,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported, resulting in at least 565 deaths.
Read more »
More virus cases on cruise ship off Japan; China death toll exceeds 500The coronavirus death toll in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563 with 10 more people on a quarantined cruise liner in Japan testing positive
Read more »
China virus death toll jumps past 500, more cases found on cruise ship off JapanChina virus jumps past 500 as more cases found on cruise ship off Japan via DavidStanway See our full coronavirus coverage here:
Read more »
Virus reveals China as global oil’s swing consumerSaudi Arabia may cut output to offset a demand slump due to the coronavirus. The People’s Republic’s thirst for imported oil, and uncertainty about the length and severity of the crisis, make that a tricky call. Getting it wrong risks opening the door to other exporters.
Read more »