Staff from Ningbo Medical System Co Ltd conduct nucleic acid tests. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn] 

A total of 100,000 nucleic acid test kits developed by Ningbo Medical System Co Ltd were shipped from Ningbo to Italy on March 23. 

Another 100,000 test kits produced by Medical System will also soon be shipped to the European country, which has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic.

The move comes after the company's two COVID-2019 test kits obtained CE certification and export permits earlier this month. 

Thus far, Medical System has received orders from more than 20 countries and regions, including the US, Spain, Italy and Chile. 

Medical System is a leader in vitro diagnosis in China. To date, the company has developed more than 170 vitro diagnostic reagents and instruments.

It only took the company half a month to develop and clinically verify the COVID-2019 test kits, according to Li Guoqiang, office head of the company. 

Ningbo Health Gene Technologies Co Ltd is another company from the city that has developed COVID-2019 test kits.

The company's testing kits have been used in 40 hospitals in the provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Yunnan, as well as countries such as the UK and Poland.

Meanwhile, the two companies have been providing testing services for employees from enterprises in Ningbo, which have effectively shortened the amount of time needed for medical observation and home isolation before employees can return to work.

To date, Health Gene has offered test services to more than 140,000 employees from Ningbo, while the figure for Medical System is over 200,000 from nearly 18,000 companies.