Chinese government adopted most comprehensive measures of prevention and control, say's Geng

Chinese government has adopted the most comprehensive, thorough and rigorous measures of prevention and control of coronavirus. 

Chinese government adopted most comprehensive measures of prevention and control, say's Geng

According to the latest figures from the NHC, March 11 saw 1,318 patients cured and discharged from hospital in China’s mainland, bringing the tally to 62,793. This is told by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang’s at a regular press conference on March 12, 2020.

China and Central and Eastern European Countries will hold a video conference on COVID-19 on March 13. Officials from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and National Health Commission and experts in disease control, clinical treatment, civil aviation, customs and community-based quarantine will share information and exchange experience with their counterparts from 17 CEECs, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has been sharing information in an open, transparent and highly responsible way with relevant countries and regions, including the CEECs, responding to their concerns and strengthening international cooperation to jointly ensure regional and global public health security. The governments and peoples of the CEECs have also expressed their support and offered us assistance. We thank them for that.

The epidemic has taken footholds in many places around the world including Europe and is still spreading. This accentuates the importance and urgency for all countries to strengthen communication and coordination and step up international cooperation in prevention and control. We are fully aware that CEECs face various challenges in this area and we’d like to help them to the best of our capability to overcome this epidemic together and promote the building of a community with a shared future for all.

According to the latest update on WHO website, over 100 countries are affected and some of them are in a severe situation. WHO therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. It also stressed that describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this virus or what WHO and countries should do. Its aim is to call on all member states to make greater political pledges and devote more resources to change the course of this pandemic.

Since the outbreak, with a highly responsible attitude towards our people and people around the globe, the Chinese government has adopted the most comprehensive, thorough and rigorous measures of prevention and control. Thanks to these arduous efforts, the situation is increasingly trending in a positive direction and we have made some major progress for the current stage.

China’s efforts are an important part of the global response and our endeavors and progress are important contributions. Going forward, while combating the disease at home, China will make contributions to the global fight against COVID-19. Yesterday I talked about China’s pledges in five areas, including greater communication and collaboration with WHO and other countries, know-how sharing, dispatch of health specialists to countries in need, donation of supplies and cooperation in science and technology. We will maintain close communication and cooperation with the international community to roll out measures in these five areas.

Virus is an enemy of all human beings as it knows no borders. China will work hand in hand with other countries and contribute our strength and wisdom to securing a final victory against the pandemic and to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Europe have all along maintained close communication and cooperation. China’s National Health Commission (NHC) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention set up with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control a joint expert team in response to the the epidemic. Only yesterday the team held its third telephone conference, where experts exchanged in-depth views on the latest developments of the epidemic in European countries and China, as well as prevention and control measures, diagnosis and screening, etc. They agreed to strengthen experience-sharing and exchange of know-how to jointly fight the virus and uphold regional and global public health security. Earlier, Zhong Nanshan, head of an NHC high-level expert group and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also shared China’s progress and experience in fighting COVID-19 through video link with head of the European Respiratory Society.

At the same time, the Chinese side has been conducting medical and health cooperation and sharing treatment experience with Italy and other countries. Experts at China’s NHC and Red Cross Society held a video conference with their counterparts in WHO and Italy’s health ministry. Chinese medical institutions at provincial and municipal levels are working with the Italian side through such means as telemedicine. Besides, the Chinese government has sent out a team of medical experts to Italy to help it combat the virus. I just heard that the team of nine will leave Shanghai today for Rome with medical supplies for combating COVID-19.

In the face of the pandemic, international cooperation and solidarity matters. We stand ready to further facilitate information flow, exchange experience and know-how, and cooperate in diagnosis and treatment solutions and medicine and vaccine development. To quote the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca, “we are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden”. We are convinced that through the concerted efforts of the international community including China and Europe, the world will surely secure a final victory over the virus.