Xi urges advancing virus research
Print Edition
PRESIDENT Xi Jinping yesterday called for advancing the scientific research on novel coronavirus disease to provide support in the battle against the epidemic.
Xi made the remarks during a visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
During his visit, Xi learned about the progress on research and application of the vaccines, anti-bodies, medicines and fast testing kits.
Xi extended his sincere gratitude and greetings to frontline science and technology personnel. “Science and technology are the most powerful weapon in humanity’s battle against diseases,” he said. “Mankind cannot defeat any major disaster or epidemic without scientific development and technological innovation.”
The president said COVID-19 research must be taken as a major and pressing task, calling for accelerating its progress and overcoming major difficulties in epidemic prevention and control at an earlier date.
Xi first went to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, where he heard a report on the academy’s COVID-19 scientific research and inspected a contingency medicine research lab for major epidemic outbreaks.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the academy’s contingency scientific research efforts have delivered positive results, Xi said, urging prompt efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines, drugs and testing kits to help fight the virus.
While inspecting the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University, Xi noted the coordination between the frontline virus battle and scientific research and material production.
He called for accelerating the development of new-type testing kits, vaccines, and diagnosis and treatment plans.
The president also required efforts to reinforce the national surveillance network for major epidemics and improve the legal and regulatory system to raise the country’s ability to respond to health emergencies.
China’s daily new confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases have seen an overall downward trend for two weeks, according to a health official.
The number of newly discharged patients nationwide continues to show an upward trend, fluctuating around 3,000 in recent days, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission, told a press conference yesterday.
Mi said that the rapid rise of the epidemic in Wuhan has been contained, with the local outbreaks in Hubei Province outside Wuhan brought under control.
Hubei on Sunday reported 196 new infections, the first time since January it has reported fewer than 200 in a day. China’s mainland had 202 new confirmed cases on Sunday, the lowest since January 22. All but six were in Hubei.
The death toll from the outbreak in Chinese mainland reached 2,912 as of the end of Sunday, up by 42 from the previous day. Hubei accounted for all of the 42 new deaths, with 32 of them in Wuhan.
With the number of new infections falling, Wuhan closed its first specially built hospital after it discharged the last batch of 34 recovered patients, CCTV reported.
Meanwhile, China’s daily output of face masks reached 116 million units as of Saturday, 12 times the figure reported on February 1, as production expansion moves into top gear, data showed yesterday.
By February-end, the daily production capacity of masks more than quintupled from February 1 to 110 million units, the National Development and Reform Commission said.
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