A person in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province shows a COVID-19 antigen test at a local pharmacy. Photo:VCG

Chinese government agencies and antigen testing kit manufacturers have been stepping up efforts to expand output as the demand for the kits surges along with the rapid increase of COVID-19 infection cases across the country.

Along with the further optimization of anti-COVID-19 measures on December 7, the number of cases has jumped in many regions, while the country's demand for self-testing antigen kits surged overnight.

Currently, authorities have accelerated approval procedures for testing kits, with 10 approved over the past two weeks.

Southwest China's Sichuan-based Maccura Biotechnology Co said in a filing with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on Friday that it has obtained certificate for 2019-nCoV antigen testing kits, marking the company's ability to provide solutions for COVID-19 detection to the domestic market and contributing to the fight against the epidemic.

As of Saturday, China has approved 44 antigen test kits. Manufacturers which had already obtained certificates are operating around the clock to ensure supply. China's daily output of antigen test kits has hit around 60 million units, Huang Guo, deputy director of the National Medical Products Administration, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech said that the company is working to expand its production areas and production lines for antigen testing kits for domestic use, and will ramp up production immediately after receiving full approval. Meanwhile, the company is wasting no time to convert production capacity by strictly following market demand, the company said in a statement on its WeChat account.

"Our company is cooperating with the Hangzhou government [in East China's Zhejiang Province] to ensure the supply of antigen testing kits. The machines are running 24 hours a day," a staff member from Hangzhou Alltest Biotech Co Ltd told the Global Times on Saturday. The staff member said that the company's daily production capacity of antigen kits is about 2 million and is stepping up recruitment for production expansion.

In addition, the Chinese central government and local governments are working in partnership to ensure that residents in remote districts could have access to the kits.

Following the application by government agency of the Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the State Council has urgently deployed 6 million antigen test kits to the region, of which 3.68 million have been distributed as planned, local media outlet nxtv.com.cn reported.

Meanwhile, local government of Southwest China's Yunnan Province said on Friday that the State Council would deploy 1 million antigen testing kits to the province, while the local government will organize key drugs manufacturers and raw material suppliers to work overtime at full capacity to ensure supply.

While ensuring supply of urgently needed medical supplies, China has also stepped up its crackdown on price gouging concerning medicines and other supplies related to COVID-19.

During the past two weeks, fines totaling approximately 2.58 million yuan ($369,300) have been levied in 307 cases involving such illegal practices, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation.

Global Times