Inflatable COVID-19 testing lab improves Shanghai's screening capacity

SHANGHAI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- An inflatable laboratory for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing that was recently put into operation in Shanghai's Xuhui District has helped improve the city's testing efficiency, local authorities said Thursday.

The newly installed lab, with a designed daily testing capacity of 100,000 tubes, or 1 million people if using pool testing methods, has aided the megacity's testing efforts, the district government said.

More than 180 staff members are working in the lab.

Test results of the nucleic acid samples can be obtained in as little as four hours after being sent to the lab.

The local authorities said the inflatable lab was erected in less than 24 hours and was put into use on April 11.

Shanghai reported 2,573 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 25,146 local asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday, the municipal health commission said Thursday.

The megacity, with a population of 25 million, has carried out multiple rounds of citywide nucleic acid testing, as part of a series of efforts to stem the spread of infections.