China at critical point in fight against COVID-19: health spokesperson

BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China will maintain its dynamic zero-COVID approach as the country is at a critical moment in the fight against COVID-19, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission (NHC) said Tuesday.

The epidemic is still surging and spreading, NHC spokesperson Mi Feng told a press conference. The Chinese mainland Monday recorded 1,251 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 23,295 asymptomatic cases.

Mi highlighted the importance of rapid response measures, including nucleic acid testing, the construction of quarantine facilities, and treatment of the infected to cut off the spread of the virus in communities as soon as possible.

He also demanded efforts to guarantee the supply of daily necessities and meet the people's needs for medication and medical treatment.

Measures should also be taken to inoculate more people against COVID-19, particularly the elderly, the spokesperson said.

So far, more than 1.24 billion Chinese people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, accounting for 88.3 percent of the total population, said the NHC, adding 719.3 million people have received their booster shots.

Among the country's 264 million people aged 60 and above, 213.3 million have been fully vaccinated and 150.8 million received boosters.