A report from Science and Technology Daily: 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese researchers have raced 
against time to trace the source and transmission route of the virus, as well 
as develop test reagents.

On Dec. 31, 2019, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the 
Chinese Academy of Sciences were assigned the urgent task of conducting 
whole-genome sequencing on samples sent by the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, which 
possibly contained unknown pathogens. With strenuous efforts, the institute 
managed to complete the mission in less than a week on Jan. 2, 2020, and they 
shared with the world the whole gene sequence of COVID-19, winning 
international recognition for their "Chinese speed."

A research team from Beijing University of Chemical Technology has also worked 
around the clock to dig into the source of the virus. Some team members even 
stayed in the lab on Lunar New Year's Eve.

Researchers have made arduous efforts to conduct sequence alignment based on 
the whole gene sequence of COVID-19 and search the database for homology. Next, 
they plan to carry out epidemiological investigations and virus source tracing 
by using artificial intelligence and big data to improve the accuracy and 
efficiency of the screening.

Also at the start of the outbreak, the National Institutes for Food and Drug 
Control, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Institute of Pathogen Biology 
under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were among the first to research 
and develop coronavirus detection products. As a result of their hard work, two 
kinds of nucleic acid test kits were developed by different technological 
methods using fluorescent-PCR and reversible terminator sequencing technologies.

On Feb. 8, 2020, another emergency program was launched to improve fast test 
technology and products for nucleic acid, antigen and antibody testing to allow 
on-site screening and rapid diagnosis among suspected patients and close 
contacts of infected patients.

The release of these scientific achievements in a timely manner greatly eased 
the panic during the early stages of the outbreak, and it has provided a 
scientific basis for the current resumption of production and work.

SOURCE  Science and Technology Daily