A staff checks the nucleic acid test kit at the plant of Luoyang Ascend Biotechnology Co., Ltd in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province, March 4, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

China planned to add nucleic acid examiner, along with nine other jobs, to the list of official occupations to promote employment amid the COVID-19 outbreak, according to an announcement Monday by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS).

The nucleic acid examiner's job is to use instruments and reagents to manage, extract and test nucleic acid samples and issue corresponding test reports, said the announcement.

As China gradually resumes work and production, the country has expanded the scale of nucleic acid testing to prevent a rebound of the epidemic, which has further increased the demand for nucleic acid examiners.

Netizens have expressed support for the government's plan on social media.

"The expanded testing scale across the country really made us realize the importance of professional nucleic acid examiners whose work will accelerate the country's testing process," said one netizen.

Companies, schools and public service institutions in many cities have required employees and students from highly affected regions to take nucleic acid tests after their return.

Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei Province, has conducted more than 1 million tests for residents. The city announced on Monday night plans to step up testing efforts by launching a 10-day city-wide testing of all residents as the city recently reported six new COVID-19 cases in the same residential community, sources from Wuhan's health authority confirmed with the Global Times.

Wuhan has 55 nucleic acid testing institutions with 211 sampling sites, according to the city government.

Other cities in China have also increased the number of testing institutions recently. For instance, Beijing has increased the number of testing institutions from 17 to 67, said a government official at Monday's press conference.

MOHRSS also announced it would add another nine jobs to the list, including online learning service provider, community health assistant, elderly health appraiser, block chain application operator, internet marketing operator, information security examiners, 3D printing equipment operators, blockchain engineers and technicians.