Since January 6th, Shijiazhuang, Hebei has started a massive COVID-19 nucleic acid testing program for the local 11 million residents within merely three days.

In quick response to the outbreak, MGI delivered 5 Fast Setup Modular Negative Pressure Labs (MGIFLP-HWRS) to Shijiazhuang in the middle of the night, and installed the first lab in merely a few hours in Hebei Sports Centre, together with 12 Inflated Huo-Yan Labs equipped with MGI’s equipment, aiming at accelerating the total testing capacity to one million samples a day.

The MGIFLP-HWRS lab is installed overnight and put to use in 12 hours,

capable of processing up to 300,000 samples a day!

MGIFLP-HWRS laboratory is designed for large-scale population testing in COVID-19 outbreak prevention and control. The lab adopts a tent-type structure and can be quickly assembled to accommodate variant testing requirements. With high flexibility and strong environmental adaptability, it can be quickly installed in 6 hours, and the lab equipment included can be commissioned and put to use in 12 hours.

The first MGIFLP-HWRS lab built in Hebei Sports Centre consists of three cabins, approximately 200 square meters in area, and is capable of processing 30,000 single tubes a day. If 10 samples are integrated in one tube for batch testing as per the technical allowance, the lab can test up to 300,000 samples per day at maximum. In the meantime, other labs are being prepared for installation, and will be deployed to rapidly scale up the testing capacity following the public health authority’s instruction.

Providing overnight support for Hebei

In October 2020, MGIFLP-HWRS laboratory was first utilized in the COVID-19 outbreak in Qingdao. This was MGI’s first endeavor to set up the full system and start operation in hours. MGI built three labs in three days.

In addition, MGI’s integrated automated nucleic acid testing vehicle lab, another COVID-19 innovation, is being delivered from Kunshan to Shijiazhuang. The mobile package can process 60,000 samples a day at maximum if integrating samples in a batch, or 6,000 samples if using one sample for a single tube, with the test results available in 4 hours.

“MGI’s high-efficiency equipment contributing

 to the city-wide testing in Shijiazhuang”

The Huo-Yan Lab Solution has been fighting through multiple “battles” against COVID-19 including the outbreaks in Beijing in June, Hong Kong in September, and Qingdao in October. This time in Hebei the Solution is composed of twelve (12) inflated air labs and three (3) MGIFLP-HWRS labs. Huo-Yan will continue to keep the community safe.

As the core equipment of the Huo-Yan lab, MGISTP-7000, the high-throughput automated sample transfer processing system, and MGISP-960, the high-throughput automated sample preparation system, are two key processes, the sample dispatching and nucleic acid extraction, making it possible to test 1 million samples a day.

MGISP-960 High Throughput Automated Sample Preparation System Under Commissioning

MGISTP-7000 can automatically complete barcode scanning, information verification and liquid transfer with a single-click. The lab technicians have zero contact with COVID-19 samples throughout the process, so they can work in a safe working environment. The system can transfer 192 samples from airtight sample tubes or plain tubes to 96-well microplates in 40 minutes. This automates the sample preparation, the most labor-intensive process, thus reduces the workload and infection risk for the lab technicians. In addition, MGISP-960 can process 192 samples in 80 minutes and is suitable for medium and high-throughput users such as companies, emergency departments, and hospitals. One technician can operate three units at the same time, greatly improving the testing efficiency.

MGISTP-7000, the High-Throughput Automated Sample Transfer Processing System

In the nation-wide combat against COVID-19, MGISP-960 automated sample preparation systems have supported the outbreaks in more than 30 cities and regions in China including Hubei, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Shenzhen. In addition, the “Huo-Yan” laboratory solutions, equipped with MGI’s automatic PCR extraction system have been supporting more than 50 countries and regions, including Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Serbia and Australia, contributing to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MGISTP-7000 sample plate can be seamlessly connected with MGISP-960 nucleic acid extraction instrument and MGI ZLIMS system for sample management. It can optimize the automation and real-time monitoring of the whole process and maximizes efficiency.

MGI quickly responds to the COVID-19 outbreaks wherever needed

In response to the sudden outbreaks in China and internationally, the MGI team is always ready to march to the front line to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the Shijiazhuang outbreak this time, MGI quickly allocated team members from Shenzhen, Qingdao, Wuhan, Beijing and other places to support the project. The first group of MGIers arrived in Shijiazhuang on January 6th.

MGI’s Support Teams Leaving for Shijiazhuang, Hebei

Most of these MGIers have already volunteered a few previous frontline projects to support the global fight. Among them, Cheng Jun, an after-sales service engineer, received an installation assignment at Suifenhe People's Hospital in May 2020 during Harbin outbreak. Cheng Jun and the truck driver decided to drive to Suifenhe overnight in order to complete the installation task sooner. Due to heavy rain and hail on the way, the truck slipped and rolled over and Jun has been injured from the accident. After quick first aid treatment and medical examinations in the hospital, he insisted on travelling to the site to complete the installation and commissioning.

After the assignment in Suifenhe, Cheng Jun immediately went overseas to support the global pandemic. Cheng Jun once again actively joined the Shijiazhuang project. Our MGIers make tremendous efforts to support the global pandemic response, demonstrating their responsibility and characters.

Cheng Jun is debugging automation equipment in Suifenhe People's Hospital

In Shijiazhuang, many MGIers have been working around the clock 24/7 to support city-wide nucleic acid testing.