China sent the military and thousands of healthcare workers into Shanghai to help execute Covud-19 tests for all of its 26 million residents, in one of its biggest-ever public health responses.

Some residents were asked to wake up before dawn for nucleic acid testing at their housing compounds, many queuing up in their pyjamas, Reuters reports.

Multiple provinces such Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Beijing have sent healthcare workers to Shanghai, according to media reports, with some estimates putting the total number at more than 10,000.