“Secretary Shi, I got my nucleic acid test result. It’s negative. Thank you,” a female citizen surnamed Chai told Shi Lijun, secretary of a Beijing community committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), over the phone on June 15.

(File photo)

A few days earlier, Chai, who had been to the Xinfadi market where the latest COVID-19 cases in Beijing have been found to be connected to, was in fact reluctant to take the test when Shi first found her and encouraged her to do so on the evening of June 13.

Shi patiently explained to her why she needed to be tested while giving her disposable medical masks, and finally took her to a designated site for testing at 8:30 p.m. that night.

Shi and five other members of the CPC committee of Anhuidongli community in Beijing’s Chaoyang district worked through the night on June 13, collecting data and reporting the information to authorities, and going door to door to persuade residents to take the test.

This is just one example of the active efforts being made by CPC members at various levels across the country to fight COVID-19.

CPC members and organizations at all levels have served as a fortress, and been the main force as well as the vanguard in China’s war against the COVID-19 pandemic and its epidemic prevention and control efforts since the outbreak began.

They have always been found battling the virus and contributing to prevention and control work in the most dangerous places, on the most arduous missions, and where help is most urgently needed.

Official statistics show that more than 29.77 million CPC members have fought the COVID-19 pandemic on the front line, accounting for 76.1 percent of the country’s CPC members, civil servants, and officials from public institutions who have played important roles in combating the disease on the front line.

China has seen nearly 23.7 million volunteers help with its epidemic prevention and control efforts, of whom 56 percent were CPC members.

Furthermore, 56.1 percent of the 43,000 medical workers who aided the virus-hit Hubei province in central China in its COVID-19 fight were CPC members.

A total of 677,000 grassroots CPC organizations of administrative villages and 302,000 Party organizations of urban communities across the country have joined in China’s epidemic prevention and control efforts, covering 542,000 villages and 64,000 communities in the country.

883,000 first secretaries helping rural areas and members of poverty alleviation working teams in villages have played active roles in prevention and control of the epidemic locally.

More than 8.46 million CPC members registered at communities to help with epidemic prevention and control efforts and provide volunteer services.

Temporary Party organizations established during the COVID-19 fight around the country have also played important parts in containing the epidemic.

The country has witnessed the establishment of 244,000 Party organizations on the front line of the COVID-19 fight. The 346 medical teams dispatched from various parts of China to Hubei have set up 1,661 Party organizations.

Inspired by the fighting spirit and heroic efforts of CPC members in combating the epidemic, a great number of people have expressed a desire to join the Party since the outbreak began.

440,000 people have submitted applications for Party membership, and 25,000 people who fought the epidemic on the front line became CPC members during the fight, of whom 32.8 percent were young people born after the 1990s.

Using the epidemic prevention and control struggle and the fight against COVID-19 as an opportunity to train, test, and identify CPC cadres, the country has recognized Party organizations, members, and leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the battle, promoting 5,520 CPC officials for their extraordinary efforts in the epidemic prevention and control drive.