Local Heilongjiang firms step up virus control work as cases soar

Northeast China's Heilongjiang province recorded 29 new locally transmitted confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 28 asymptomatic carriers on Tuesday, the provincial health commission said on Wednesday.

Data showed that all the cases were reported in Suihua city's Wangkui county and the capital city Harbin, the two major affected areas in the recent outbreak.

As the number of COVID-19 cases has soared in Heilongjiang, local enterprises are continuing to make efforts for epidemic prevention and control work.

A Huoyan Laboratory in a convention and exhibition center in Harbin will be put into operation, local media reported on Wednesday.

A total of 12 white, tentlike inflatable facilities have been constructed in the lab, driving up the nucleic acid testing capacity in the lab to more than 20,000 tubes a day.

The labs are operated by BGI Genomics, a private biotech company based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which built the makeshift testing complex in about nine hours.

The firm also assembled about 30 employees from across the nation to join in the construction, according to Su Hang, deputy general manager of its Heilongjiang company.

Meanwhile, workers at Harbin Dahuanghuanyu New Technology are busy producing their newly developed disinfectant.

"It contains more environmentally friendly ingredients without unpleasant or irritating odor," said Sun Zhichao, head of the company's manufacturing plant.

The company also said that the daily output had increased by 50 percent to provide a strong market guarantee for residents' needs in prevention.

As of Tuesday, there were 486 confirmed cases and 529 asymptomatic carriers in Heilongjiang.

Neighboring Jilin province on Tuesday reported 14 confirmed cases, driving the caseload to 294, according to the provincial Health Commission.

Eighteen asymptomatic carriers were reported on Tuesday, bringing the total to 83.

Among the 292 cases receiving treatment in hospitals, 43 are in serious condition, the commission said.