A total of 401 health institutions in Shenzhen, including 59 hospitals, 337 community health centers and five pandemic prevention and health-care centers, have been opened for nucleic acid testing as of Friday, and more will open to meet demand in the coming days, said the city’s health commission.
Citizens can make reservations for nucleic acid tests on site at the 337 community health centers, and some hospitals have also provided on-site reservation services, the commission said, though citizens are recommended to make online reservations during the pandemic.
Currently, online appointments can be made at the commission’s official WeChat account “szwjwwx” (深圳卫健委), through the WeChat miniprogram “社康通” (shekangtong) or at the “iShenzhen” (i深圳) app.
There has been a surge in demand for nucleic acid tests recently as a negative test result is required for those traveling home to rural areas for the Spring Festival. The annual Spring Festival travel rush began Thursday.
To meet the demand for the nucleic acid tests, the Health Commission of Guangdong Province on Friday launched the “Guangdong COVID-19 Testing Service Platform” to facilitate test appointment and test result inquiry.
Pandemic prevention and control policies as well as risk ratings of all parts of the country can be inquired about on the platform in real time. Citizens can gain access to the platform by following the WeChat account “gh_83a865a311ed” (粤卫平台).
On the same day, the commission issued a notice that health institutions in the province will no longer charge the registration fee for a nucleic acid test. Meanwhile, health institutions are urged to be sufficiently staffed to carry out nucleic acid testing at night and on weekends.
In another development, a man in Shenzhen has recently been detained by the police for spreading pandemic-related rumors, according to Shenzhen Evening News.
The man pleaded guilty to his illegal act of spreading rumors and disturbing public order through the Internet and was given a five-day administrative detention by police in Bao’an District in accordance with law.
