WUHAN (Xinhua): As more hospitals and qualified third-party institutions join in, Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is now able to test nearly 4,200 nucleic acid samples per day, local authorities said. As of Monday (Feb 3), the novel coronavirus nucleic acid testing capability of Wuhan had been increased to 4,196 samples per day from the initial 200 samples. This suggests that the diagnosis of the novel coronavirus in the province will no longer be solely dependent on nucleic acid test results. "The nucleic acid test result is the gold standard for the final diagnosis of novel coronavirus infections, but those who have a negative nucleic acid test result may see positive CT imaging results," said Zhang Xiaochun with the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. As of Wednesday, a total of 10,117 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection had been reported in Wuhan.

Source: The Star February 06, 2020 09:45 UTC