China has built a capacity to collect and test nearly 57 million tubes of nucleic acid samples every day, the National Health Commission said Friday.

Currently, 153,000 technicians in 13,000 medical institutions across the country carry out these tests for the COVID-19 virus, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the commission.

Thanks to the significant progress in nucleic acid testing capacity over the past two years, residents in metropolises around China can find a sampling site within a 15-minute walk, Guo added.

Local authorities are encouraged to deploy not just doctors and nurses for the testing, but also people with relevant technical qualifications, Guo said.