(Yicai Global) Dec. 22 -- Chinese internet behemoth Tencent Holdings launched a drug-sharing platform earlier this week to help people suffering from Covid-19 to find medicine and for those who have surplus supply to offer it to people in need as another outbreak sweeps the country following an easing in pandemic prevention measures.

More than 100 million people visited the platform via a Wechat mini-program in the first two days since its launch on Dec. 19 and posted more than 50,000 pieces of information, the Shenzhen-based firm said.

Residents in Shanghai, Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in southeastern Zhejiang province as well as Shenzhen and Guangzhou in southern Guangdong province need the most help, while those in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou are offering the most assistance, according to the platform’s data as of yesterday.

The website is a response to recent calls by local governments for people to share any extra drugs they have and for people who need medicine to ask for help online, Tencent said. In previous times of great public need, the firm has also taken the initiative to help out. Tencent Mobility Services and Tencent Maps launched an app during the flooding in central Henan province last year through which people could seek or offer help.

The medicines that can be swapped on the platform are common over-the-counter drugs recommended by the National Health Commission, Tencent said. Users need to register using their real identification cards to avoid misuse of the service such as by hoarding drugs. But online only a pseudonym will appear for each user to protect their identity.

Tencent is asking for volunteers to help verify the information posted on the platform to make the website safer and reduce risk for users.

The platform aims to collect and display information in a standardized way, the firm said. It warns against the overtrading of drugs and displays instructions on how to take medicine properly. Tencent is contacting drug suppliers to give users more options, it added.

Editors: Shi Yi, Kim Taylor