A medical worker checks diagnosis record of a patient with his colleague in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 24, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

With a population of more than 11 million, bigger than Sweden's, novel coronavirus outbreak epicenter Wuhan has been struggling to assess and round up all those infected, and criticized for failing to finish the task, which the city vowed to accomplish in three days.

Wuhan again vowed a citywide dragnet style inspection of the virus, making sure all those who have contracted the virus are rounded up, according to an inspection order given by Wang Zhonglin, the newly appointed Party chief of Wuhan, on Sunday. 

The three-day campaign aims to fulfill five objectives: have all suspected victims receive nucleic acid tests; round up all infected patients; check all patients with fever; put under quarantine anyone who has had close contact with patients; and ensure all communities and villages implement 24-hour closed-off management measures. 

Big data and AI will be deployed to help with the inspection, media reported. 

Ma Guoqiang, the city's then-Party secretary, said at a press conference five days ago that a total of 10.59 million residents from 4.21 million households had been checked in a citywide health screening campaign in Wuhan, representing a 99 percent and a 98.6 percent screening rate, respectively. Ma also vowed to have all suspected cases checked by February 11. 

Many local residents, however, questioned the goal as some complained they never encountered an inspector in their residential compound; some said they failed to be hospitalized even if they were confirmed infected with the virus. 

Peng Zhiyong, a doctor at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, told the Global Times that Wuhan faces difficulties in counting the number of patients or suspected patients who have been under isolation at their homes due to limited medical resources. 

And it needs heavy work from local communities to check and help them get proper medical treatment either at hospitals or makeshift hospitals, Peng said. 

An employee who works at a Wuhan community told the Global Times on Monday that after the new order was given, some volunteers were mobilized to make calls, and a majority of residents can be reached. 

Loopholes in the previous mobilization added more pressure on work in the current stage, said the employee. The previous urgent task failed to catch the attention of every worker, said the employee, who requested anonymity. 

The number of infections was underestimated in the early stage, which resulted in the late categorized treatment of patients, a source close to the local government office told the Global Times. 

Slow check work in the early stage stalled treatment for many with severe symptoms, and even caused deaths. Many others contracted the virus due to cross-infection, forming a vicious cycle, the source noted.

Some officials and community members failed or tried to cover up the number of COVID-19 cases, so that the real number of infected still remains unclear, the source said. 

However, Yi Hu, a local resident, also a volunteer who works in a community, said that after the new order was given, many Party members, even district officials, were diverted to inspect household to household. 

"Almost all those who could be mobilized took part in the inspection. There were loopholes left by the previous work, but we will fix it this time, as figuring out the number of patients and suspected victims is crucial in fighting the virus,"  Hu said. 

Although the number of people who contracted COVID-19 outside Hubei Province has dropped for 13 consecutive days, the situation inside Hubei continues to be serious, as health officials reported nearly 50,000 confirmed cases in Hubei alone.

Restrictions were tightened further in Hubei on Sunday with vehicles, apart from essential services, banned from the roads and companies were told to stay shut until further notice, which experts said shows the province is launching a war of annihilation against the virus. 

The Sunday notice also included locking down all residential communities in urban and rural areas, and closing all non-essential public places. 

Residents in Xiaogan, Hubei have been forbidden from going out since Monday, said the local government, noting that any violation will be dealt with. 

All the control measures will be effective only when the government has a whole picture of the situation and rounds up all infected and suspected cases. If the campaign fails, no matter how many makeshift hospitals we build, it would be inadequate to curb the epidemic, analysts said.
Newspaper headline: Wuhan vows patient roundup