Health experts back China's COVID-19 control policy

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese health experts have expressed confidence in China's epidemic prevention and control policy, saying that the country will win the battle against COVID-19 with continuous efforts.

Ma Xiaochun, an expert with the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19, said China must stick to what has proved successful to contain the epidemic within a small area and reduce the number of large-scale outbreaks.

Practice has proved that China's prevention and control measures are scientific and effective, said Ma, who is also director of the intensive-care department under the First Hospital of China Medical University.

"We believe that in the face of the epidemic, we will win as long as we stay on course," Ma said.

Strict prevention and control measures are necessary to protect the lives of the vast majority of people, said Du Bin, vice president of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Any loosening of the prevention and control measures will cause severe consequences given China's situation, Du added.

Noting that a high proportion of severe cases in the current wave have not been vaccinated, Du called on eligible individuals to get vaccinated in a timely manner as data show that vaccination remains effective in reducing the risk of severe illness and death.