China pushes for solid implementation of its 10 new measures of COVID-19 response

Local authorities across China are working to ensure forceful and effective COVID-19 response after the country issued its latest 10 prevention and control measures to further optimize pandemic control.

They are enhancing the popularization of healthcare knowledge among residents, guiding them to understand the novel coronavirus in a science-based manner, and encouraging them to be responsible for their own health.

For instance, some local governments have issued pandemic prevention brochures for individuals, and some made short videos to instruct people to perform rapid antigen test. Besides, some published digital guidebooks that tell people when and where they should see a doctor.

A courier fetches medicines from a 24-hour pharmacy in Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu province, Dec. 10, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Zhao Qirui)

Experts said that thanks to China's previous efforts to contain the pandemic, the country has seen a prominent decrease in the pathogenicity of the virus and developed effective vaccines and medicines, thus embracing an opportunity to further optimize its control measures.

The 10 new measures were introduced based on the latest epidemic situation and mutation of the virus to contain the epidemic in a more targeted manner.

One of the goals of optimizing pandemic response is to lower the impacts from the virus on people's life and work, ensure the treatment for the critically ill and groups at higher risk through effective resource allocation, better coordinate COVID-19 prevention and control with regular medical services, and better meet the demand for healthcare of the Chinese people.

A senior resident is vaccinated at a clinic in Yuquan district, Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Dec. 12, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Ding Genhou)

Science-based and targeted implementation of these measures is important. From optimizing quarantine methods to ramping up the vaccination drive among the elderly, and from collecting health information about key groups to ensuring the functioning of the society and basic medical services, China is making unremitting efforts in various prevention and control work.

At present, China is working to ensure that responsibilities are fulfilled by local governments, departments, organizations and individuals, strengthen the construction and coordination of medical resources, improve the hierarchical medical system, and reinforce pandemic prevention capacity at the primary level, in hope of implementing the new measures in more targeted and effective manner.

To tackle the difficulties facing the people, local authorities across the country have requested hospitals above grade two and qualified primary-level medical institutions to establish and open fever clinics to the best of their capacity. Besides, they also requested relevant organizations to offer door-to-door vaccination services for disabled seniors and those with mobility issues. Smooth logistics will be ensured and the protection of groups at higher risk enhanced, too.

Citizens visit a park in Changsha, central China's Hunan province, Dec. 11, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Li Jian)

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has always put the people and their lives in the first place, effectively responded to more than 100 regional outbreaks at home and five global resurgences.

Over the past three years, China has always been committed to the people-centered approach, and optimized prevention and control measures in view of the evolving COVID-19 dynamics.

China's practice fully indicates that its COVID-19 response has to a very large extent protected the lives and safety of the Chinese people and facilitated people's life, production and investment. The optimized measures will make more efficient use of prevention and control resources, and better coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development.