Chongqing rolls out COVID test trucks

Epidemic control authorities are rolling out advanced nucleic acid testing trucks, which together can process at least 100,000 sample tubes a day across Chongqing municipality and Guizhou province to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The five modified vehicles use a 13.7-meter-long semitrailer chassis to provide adequate space for mobile testing facilities that meet biosafety laboratory standards, according to Chongqing-based car and truck maker Qingling Motors.

Qingling is not the only carmaker that has contributed to epidemic prevention and control efforts.

In early 2020, when COVID-19 broke out, major Chinese automobile manufacturers such as SAIC-GM-Wuling and BYD immediately transformed their production lines into mask-making units, to help plug supply shortages at that time.

Mass nucleic acid testing remains one of the key methods to prevent and control COVID-19 in major Chinese cities such as Chongqing.

China's dynamic zero-COVID strategy is still the most economical and scientific approach to tackle the disease as the pandemic continues to spread across the globe and bring fresh risks, said Chang Jile, deputy director of the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control.

He said China will focus on handling its COVID-19 epidemic while improving its ability to cope with emergencies to safeguard the health of the people.

"The vehicles have stronger nucleic acid testing capacities," said Qingling's technical engineer Deng Jianguo, adding that 20,000 sample tubes can be tested daily in each vehicle, and if the samples are mixed, some 400,000 people can be screened every day.

The vehicles have helped conduct epidemic control work in several districts in Chongqing, including Banan, Shapingba, Hechuan, Jiangjin and Yongchuan districts, and Bijie in Guizhou province.

"The vehicles, equipped with electric control and air ventilation systems and medical devices, are running smoothly," said Wu Dong, who is deputy director of the company's purchasing department and in charge of the vehicles' operation.

"One of the vehicles has even been running for 72 consecutive hours."

The vehicles are equipped with independent automatic biological sealing and air purifying systems, according to Wu.

In May, the company won the bidding for a nucleic acid testing vehicle project. "Our workshops were in operation in shifts 24 hours a day to finally deliver five vehicles within a month," said Zhou Dashu, deputy director of the company's production department.

"We feel honored working as an enterprise that shoulders social responsibility," said Zhou, who noted the nucleic acid testing vehicle, as a specially modified product, is actually one of the many modified products manufactured by the company for emergent social needs.

Besides the testing vehicle, the carmaker has made other modified vehicles, such as for medical waste transfer, moving laboratories, material storage and air purification.