WUHAN: Liang Wannian, chief of the National Health Commission’s institutional reform department and head of the Chinese expert panel, said one key understanding shared by all experts is that in Wuhan, the explosive growth of new infections is effectively curbed. But with over 400 new confirmed cases each day, containment measures must be maintained, with a focus on timely diagnosis and treatment, he added.
Liang said much remains unknown about the novel coronavirus. Its transmission capability may have surpassed that of many other pathogens, including the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, posing great challenges in ending the epidemic, he said.
“In enclosed spaces, the virus spreads between people very quickly, and we found that asymptomatic patients, those who carry virus but do not display symptoms, may be able to spread the virus,” he said.
Liang said that based on the latest findings, the virus has not mutated, but since it jumped from an animal host to a human, its transmission capability has clearly From page 1 increased and caused sustained human-to-human infections. The joint expert team led by Liang and Alyward visited Beijing and Guangdong and Sichuan provinces before heading to Hubei to conduct field investigations, according to the commission. In Hubei, the experts visited Tongji Hospital’s Guanggu branch in Wuhan, the temporary hospital set up in the city’s sports center and the provincial center for disease control and prevention, to study Hubei’s epidemic control work and medical treatment, the commission said. Minister of the National Health Commission Ma Xiaowei, who was briefed on the team’s findings and suggestions in Wuhan, reiterated that China’s forceful measures to curb the disease’s spread have protected the health of the Chinese people and contributed to safeguarding global public health.
China is confident in its capabilities and is determined to win the battle, and it will continue to improve disease control measures while achieving economic and social development, Ma said. China also will continue to improve its disease prevention and control mechanism and its health emergency response system, and strengthen its cooperation with the WHO, he added. According to the health commission, the number of new confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland dropped to 409 on Monday, with only 11 cases reported outside Hubei.
– The Daily Mail-China Daily News exchange item
