Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2020 shows solutions for fever clinic provided by GE Healthcare at the special area for public health and epidemic prevention of the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)
SHANGHAI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- General Electric's healthcare arm in China is ramping up production of contrast media used in computed tomography imaging after a brief hiatus caused by the COVID-19 epidemic to meet rising global demand.
GE Healthcare in China told Xinhua on Friday that the company's plant in Shanghai has resumed about half of its usual manufacturing capacity, and production will further accelerate in the coming weeks to recover capacity.
The plant's production lines halted in late March as Shanghai tightened epidemic control and prevention measures to curb the latest COVID-19 upsurge, and production resumed in late April, said the firm.
"We are ramping up production of iodine contrast agents to meet the need of our customers and patients worldwide," noted a person in charge. "We expect to return to full capacity as soon as possible."
Located in the Pudong New Area, GE Healthcare's manufacturing facilities in Shanghai make up more than half of the company's global output of contrast agents.
Shanghai has continued to promote the resumption of work and production amid the COVID-19 flare-ups. Currently, about half of the city's more than 9,000 major industrial firms, each with annual business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.9 million U.S. dollars), have resumed production, according to data from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology. ■