Staff members do nucleic acid testing work at a novel coronavirus detection lab in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has conducted nucleic acid tests for all backlog of patients, including those confirmed or suspected to be infected with the virus, close contacts of confirmed cases, and patients with fever, local authorities said Saturday.

A total of 40 nucleic acid testing institutions in the city can test an average of 14,000 samples per day, with its daily testing capacity reaching 20,000 samples, according to the city's epidemic prevention and control headquarters.

From Tuesday to Thursday, Wuhan carried out a total of 42,515 nucleic acid tests and had conducted the testing for all backlog of patients as of Friday.

It takes less than 10 hours from accepting the samples to delivering results.

An information system concerning the test has been launched on Feb. 11, enabling patients to check the test results on their mobile phones since Feb. 19.