SCIO briefing on epidemic control and medical rescue in Hubei

Speakers:

Wang Hesheng, vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), member of the Leading Party Members' Group of the NHC, and member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee

Liang Wannian, head of the NHC expert team for the epidemic response

Chang Jile, director of the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, NHC

Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the Bureau of Medical Administration, NHC

Chairperson:

Xi Yanchun, spokesperson of the State Council Information Office of China

Date:

Feb. 15, 2020

Xi Yanchun:

Friends from the media, good morning. Welcome to the press conference. Hubei, especially the provincial capital Wuhan, is the top priority for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 (also known as novel coronavirus pneumonia) epidemic, and the decisive region for seeking to defeat the virus. Today, the State Council Information Office is holding a press conference at the frontline of the battle in Wuhan to introduce the latest information on epidemic control and medical rescue in Hubei province. We have invited Mr. Wang Hesheng, vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), member of the Leading Party Members' Group of the NHC, and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hubei Provincial Committee. Also present at the press conference are Mr. Liang Wannian, head of the NHC expert team for the epidemic response; Mr. Chang Jile, director of the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, NHC; and Ms. Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the Bureau of Medical Administration, NHC. First, I will give the floor to Mr. Wang.

Wang Hesheng:

Friends from the media, good morning. The COVID-19 epidemic has become a shared concern to all Party members and all the people of our country. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have given earnest consideration to the situation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has called multiple meetings, making overall arrangements for the prevention and control work. During his inspection in Beijing on Feb. 10, General Secretary Xi talked to frontline medical workers at hospitals receiving severe cases in Wuhan, including Jinyintan Hospital, Union Hospital and Huoshenshan Hospital, using a telemedicine system. He extended regards to medical staff across the country, and called on us to give top priority to people's safety and health, save patients at all costs, increase the admission and recovery rates, as well as reducing the infection and fatality rates. General Secretary Xi's words pointed out the direction for the epidemic prevention and control work, especially in regard to medical rescue.

Since the outbreak of the pneumonia, China's health system has focused strongly on epidemic control and medical rescue. The NHC moved swiftly, submitting a proposal to the State Council to classify the outbreak as a category-B infectious disease, and take preventive and control measures on the level of a category-A infectious disease. The NHC released information on the COVID-19 outbreak as well as the prevention and control measures in a timely manner. We put forward and implemented the prevention and control strategies of "four early" (screening, reporting, quarantine and treatment at early stage) and "four concentration" (concentration of patients, experts, resources and treatment). Plans such as case diagnosis and treatment, emergency monitoring, epidemiological investigation are formulated and optimized. We immediately speeded up scientific research, quickly identified the pathogen of COVID-2019, and optimized the testing kits. All provinces have quickly set up joint prevention and control mechanisms. In accordance with the principle of territorial management, emergency response has been launched and the grid management of epidemic prevention and control has been strengthened in urban and rural areas. Local communities work to ensure preventive and control measures are effectively implemented. In accordance with the requirements of "non-proliferation within the city and non-export beyond the city," traffic restrictions were imposed on Wuhan and its links to surrounding areas. Tough measures, such as close contacts being quarantined, have been carried out and medical staff have spared no efforts to achieve patient recovery. Answering the call of the central government, health departments in various places sent preeminent medical workers to form rescue teams to support Hubei province. They also carried medical equipment and protective supplies such as ventilator, ECG monitor and ECMO.

Wang Hesheng:

As of 24:00 on Feb. 14, a total of 217 medical teams and 25,633 medical staff had been sent from various places, not including those provided by the military. Adding to that, three mobile BSL3 labs were also mobilized. There are now 181 medical teams and 20,374 medical workers in Wuhan. In other cities of Hubei province, there are 36 medical teams and 5,259 medical workers. The number of medical rescue teams and the speed of mobilizing medical resources all surpass those involved in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The central government also arranged 19 provinces to support different cities of Hubei province, known as "one province helps one city." The relevant provinces gave full support to the aided cities and prefectures. Adhering to the lofty spirit of "respecting lives, rescuing patients, complete dedication, selfless love," the medical staff bravely fights at the forefront of the battle against the epidemic. They made every effort to protect the people's lives and health. With unremitting efforts and strong measures of prevention and control, the peak of the coronavirus was dragged lower, and by doing so, we won time for curbing the spreading of the epidemic.

The prevention and control of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is currently at its most crucial stage. Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, remains the main battlefield. Medical treatment is being carried out in accordance with the general requirements of having full confidence and relying on concerted efforts, scientific containment and targeted measures. We will continue to give top priority to improving the rate of patients received and nursed to full recovery, and reducing rate of infection and mortality, and strive to win the battle against the virus in Wuhan and Hubei with all our strength.

As for reducing the infection rate, the entire province of Hubei, especially Wuhan, should enact and implement prevention and control measures in line with actual conditions. We have strictly implemented the measures of "early detection, early reporting, early quarantine and early treatment", and effectively carried out the classification and centralized management of confirmed patients, suspected patinets, fever patients with pneumonia symptoms and those who have had close contact with them. We have promoted the prevention and control at the community level, encouraging communities to shoulder their due responsibilities and carry out targeted management, and giving full play to the grassroots forces to make the communities serve as strong fortress against the epidemic in order to prevent the specter of another Wuhan. As for improving patient admission rate, we have carried out different measures according to different situations: all confirmed severely ill patients, including those clinically diagnosed, must be concentrated in designated hospitals for treatment, patients with mild symptoms must be isolated and treated in the temporary "cabin hospitals," and those suspected patients with mild symptoms must be observed and treated in isolated locations. We have converted a number of gymnasiums, exhibition centers and training centers into "cabin hospitals" and isolation centers for treatment. We will continue to improve equipment and facilities and strengthen service management so as to ensure security and good order in those places. At present, nine such cabin hospitals are operating, with more than 6,960 beds, and 5,606 patients receiving treatment there.

Wang Hesheng:

In the next stage, if needed, we will continue to transform some hospital wards and venues into designated hospitals and temporary hospitals, to make sure the confirmed and suspected patients can receive centralized treatment and no patients are left unattended.

Regarding improving the survival rate and reducing the mortality rate, we have coordinated the medical teams dispatched by the central authority and by provincial regions, as well as medical resources in Hubei, and adopted unified treatment standards, work processes and technical specifications in order to improve the level of medical treatment. We have adopted such a model as overall takeover, with assisting medics from the same provincial region or the same hospital taking charge of one specific department. In this way, critically ill patients can receive centralized treatment, and the advantages of medical experts can be given full play. We have implemented a multidisciplinary consultation system for difficult cases and a discussion system for death cases in order to improve and promote treatment plans. We will tap the potential of the mixed therapy methods of traditional Chinese medicine and its Western counterpart, using TCM for treatment as soon as possible. At the same time, we will strengthen the efforts to prevent infections happening inside the hospital and enhance the protection of medical staff themselves.

Media friends, protecting the people's health is the mission of medical workers. We will resolutely implement the decisions and deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, take all possible measures to improve the rate of patients received and recovered and reduce the rate of infection and mortality, making our due contribution to the "people's war" against pneumonia epidemic caused by COVID-19. Thank you.

Xi Yanchun:

Thank you Mr. Wang Hesheng. The floor is now open for questions. Please ask questions via the video link and identify your news outlet before asking questions.

CCTV:

It was mentioned at the press conference that more than 200 medical teams, both national and local, have assembled in Hubei province at present, totaling more than 20,000 personnel. How do these teams carry out their work? What kind of work has been undertaken at the national level in terms of organizing medical teams to help Hubei? What results have been achieved so far? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

In order to effectively respond to the epidemic situation in Hubei province, especially in Wuhan city, in accordance with the arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, we quickly seconded medical experts and backbone forces of national level from 29 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities across the country and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and hospitals affiliated to the National Health Commission. By organizing them into a number of echelons of different levels, we are ready to support Hubei. These medical teams rushed to Hubei in batches starting from Jan. 24. Despite their own local heavy burden of medical care, the cities and provinces have responded well and reached out their hands, dispatching their medical staff to Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province selflessly and generously. Medical personnel from all over the country have applied to support Hubei on their own initiative, carrying forward the lofty professional spirit of "respect lives, save lives, be willing to contribute with boundless love." In this battle without the smoke of gunpowder, they neither complained nor bowed before difficulties. These ordinary people are extraordinary. Here I would like to pay high tribute to the Party committees and governments of all levels, medical institutions, and medical staff who gave their support to Hubei and Wuhan, as well as the medical staff who stuck to their jobs in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei. Thank you all.

Wang Hesheng:

As of now, we have mobilized 217 medical teams to Hubei province, with a total number of more than 25,000 medics. After the teams arrived in Wuhan, they were placed under the unified deployment and arrangement of local health commissions and hospitals to participate in the treatment of patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The frontline team of the National Health Commission has organized training with regard to the treatment, management and personal protection for the medics, and also guided the teams to set up a temporary Party branch at the front line to better strengthen team coordination.

For other cities in Hubei province, we have also adopted the policy of "pairing-up support for Hubei." Provincial-level regions across the country have paired up with various cities across Hubei. They have teamed up with local medics to support the treatment of patients, which helped ease the pressure on the latter and enable them to have a reasonable shift arrangement. All those in the frontline will get some time to rest, and thus be able to work better. And we have also organized Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing Hospital, China-Japan Friendship Hospital and other affiliated hospitals of Peking University to contribute their expertise. The whole team of many experts from the major hospitals is led by the president and Party committee secretary of the hospitals. As the key leaders, they will oversee the treatment of severe cases in the designated hospitals in Hubei province. In addition, these experts are well-known specialists able to provide very professional guidance to the frontline teams. This also showcases advantages of our political system. The people in Hubei province believed that the medical teams sent by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the great support from people across China will help us to win the battle against the COVID-19.

The Asahi Shimbun:

First of all, I would like to send my deepest condolences to those who lost their lives due to the COVID-19. I also sincerely hope that those infected could soon recover. People in Japan are supporting Wuhan and Hubei. My question is: How do you think the epidemic is going in Hubei and Wuhan? As the prevention and control of COVID-19 outbreak is currently at its most critical stage, are there any more effective measures taken to contain this epidemic? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

Thank you for your question. Let's give the floor to Mr. Liang Wannian.

Liang Wannian:

As for the current status of the epidemic, the daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases outside Wuhan fell from nearly 900 on Feb. 3 to less than 300 on Feb. 13, declining for 10 consecutive days. The daily new confirmed cases in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps were less than five for three consecutive days. This is a good sign. As for the situation in Wuhan, we saw the big number of daily new emerging cases from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, and the figure has shown a downward trend since Feb. 1. However, the situation is still tough for other cities in Hubei, such as Xiaogan and Huanggang, and the number of daily new emerging cases there is still increasing rapidly. The infection due to family reunion and imported cases is still occurring frequently, and infections in neighborhoods is still common in urban areas. Nevertheless, generally speaking, the spread of COVID-19 in these areas is slow, and infections in neighborhoods and local outbreak is comparatively rare. COVID-19 cases in other places such as Enshi and Shennongjia are still attributed to imported cases, and the risk of spread is relatively low.

Liang Wannian:

As the epidemic prevention and control work in Wuhan comes to the most critical moment, we must continue to make it our top priority. In accordance with the principle of "firm confidence, solidarity, scientific prevention and control, and precise measures", we must focus on the prevention of the epidemic and treatment of patients, make overall plans and take various factors into consideration in the joint prevention and control of the epidemic. Meanwhile, we have to undertake classified, precise, scientific and targeted measures in different areas based on their different epidemic situations. For instance, in terms of Wuhan and other areas seriously stricken by the epidemic, the existing prevention and control measures should be continuously promoted and the priority is still their implementation. The work of grid-based health management should be implemented by every town, community, family, and even by every work position and every single person. The comprehensive screening of epidemic cases and the control of confirmed cases, suspected cases, febrile patients and their close contacts should be further strengthened to curb the spread of the virus and lower the infection rate. In the meantime, the principle of pooling patients, experts and medical resources for centralized treatment should be further implemented so that better resources will be used for treating severe and critical cases and the fatality rate will be reduced. For other areas, we should take classified, precise and scientific measures based on their different levels of risk to further prevent and control the epidemic. Thank you!

Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po:

I have a question. As the treatment of patients in severe cases has been the priority as well as the difficulty, my question is: what major measures have been taken to decrease the fatality rate? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

Thanks for your question. We have Ms. Jiao answer this question.

Jiao Yahui:

Above all, our analyses and studies on severe and fatal cases have enabled us to conclude that severely-ill patients in Wuhan now account for about 18% of the total confirmed cases in hospital, and that there are some similarities between these patients and a fatal outcome. The first aspect is that both are of a senior age. The second is that both have underlying diseases. In addition, as patients in severe cases experienced a relatively long period from being infected with the virus to being hospitalized, many were already in severe or critical condition when they were admitted to a hospital. In view of this situation, we have taken various measures, pooled the best resources and intensified the treatment of severe and critical cases in an effort to increase the recovery rate and decrease the fatality rate.

First, we have set up medical treatment expert groups at the national level respectively led by academicians Zhong Nanshan, Li Lanjuan and Wang Chen, as well as academicians Tong Xiaolin and Huang Luqi in traditional Chinese medicine. Under the leadership and guidance of these academicians, medical treatment work across the country has been carried out. Based on nationwide exchange of medical treatment experience, the expert groups have constantly updated and improved diagnosis and treatment plans to provide better guidance to the medical work all over China.

Second, in Wuhan we have designated hospitals under the jurisdiction of the National Health Commission and hospitals at the provincial level, and in some isolated areas of these hospitals we have set up special facilities for severe and critical cases. We have set up teams consisting of experts at national level and provincial level, as well as experts from these designated hospitals. The experts conduct daily consolidated evaluations on all the hospitalized patients and implement a 24-hour critical case reporting system. In other words, we have a list clearly displaying the information of all the patients in severe and critical condition. Every day, the expert teams conduct consolidated evaluations on the cases and propose targeted treatment plans for them. To ensure that patients are treated timely and effectively, we have also set up a discussion and consultation system concerning difficult and complicated cases, a discussion system concerning fatal cases, a regular ward inspection system, a holistic nursing system and a multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment system.

In addition, based on the previous experience of treating severely-ill patients in these designated hospitals in Wuhan, we have also come up with diagnosis and treatment plans targeted to severe and critical cases, and proposed therapies including anti-virus therapy, oxygen therapy, a therapy of combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and a therapy of using the blood plasma from recovered patients. In particular, we are recently focused on the usage of invasive ventilators. We have required doctors to grasp every chance to save lives and use the invasive ventilators at an early stage to help restore patients' blood oxygen saturation and reduce fatalities.

We are happy to see that our efforts in recent times have shown effect. For instance, so far, up to 30 to 39 percent of patients infected with the COVID-19 have been discharged from the Jinyintan Hospital and Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, the first two hospitals designated for treating severe and critical cases. This inspiring figure gives us great confidence. Thanks.

Wang Hesheng:

I want to add one point. Right from the beginning, we have implemented the principles and requirements put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping on integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with Western medicine to treat COVID-19 patients. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who heads the special work group sent by the central government to Hubei, has mobilized many top experts in integrated therapies of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The academicians introduced by Ms. Jiao Yahui just now are among the major representatives. To my knowledge, many other academicians fighting on the frontline have also carried out relevant work focused on the formulation, discussion, research and improvement of a treatment plan combining TCM with Western medicine. For example, the academicians I saw on the frontline include TCM expert Zhang Boli from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Qiao Jie, president of Peking University Third Hospital, along with many other experts. We have amassed the strongest scientific research and medical force to help combat the new coronavirus under the guideline of integrating TCM with Western medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, and I think this is an extremely important feature in our medical rescue work since the outbreak of the epidemic. That's all I want to explain.

Modern Express:

We have learned that TCM has played an important role in curing patients and containing the epidemic, and the central government has also urged intensifying application of TCM in the whole course of diagnosis and treatment of patients. Would you like to give us more information on this issue? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

Just now, I talked about the feature in our treatment plan – integrating TCM with Western medicine. Since the start of the virus outbreak, we have earnestly implemented the important instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping, especially the instruction on combining TCM with Western medicine to treat patients, so as to bring into full play the role of the former. Yesterday, we held a special press conference on TCM to introduce relevant information. At the very beginning of the epidemic outbreak, we sent a group of experts to Wuhan to formulate our treatment plan. So far, we have dispatched three national TCM medical teams to Hubei province and organized TCM systems across the country to send medical specialists to the province. A total of 2,220 TCM workers have been sent to help combat the epidemic. The TCM medical teams stick to the principle of integrating TCM with Western medicine in treatment highlighting the best features of the former. More than half of the confirmed cases in Hubei have received TCM treatment. TCM workers have also actively participated in the anti-epidemic efforts at the community level, giving out TCM decoctions to residents in need. All these efforts have produced certain efficacy.

We have been coordinating the resources of both TCM and Western medicine to bring into full play their complementary advantages and promote collaborative research for effective means of prevention and treatment. We will spare no effort in increasing the cure rate, minimizing mortality, and safeguarding people's health and safety. Thank you.

Hubei Daily:

There is great difficulty in containing the spread of the virus at the community level due to the high population density. As the communities are the first line of the epidemic prevention and control work, how will you carry out further prevention and control work at the community level? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

Mr. Chang Jile will take your question.

Chang Jile:

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the role of community in effectively containing the spread of the virus when he inspected the epidemic prevention and control work in Beijing on Feb. 10. The National Health Commission has resolutely implemented the spirit of Xi's important speech, decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and decisions of the central government group in Hubei province. We are sparing no effort to guide and supervise the epidemic prevention and control work at community level in Hubei according to guidelines issued by the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism. For example, we sent experts in disease control and community health to work with local people to guide all-round community checks in 13 districts of Wuhan. We established expert groups on disinfection, health protection and psychological intervention, and worked out technical solutions for cleaning and disinfection in special places. We have produced handbooks setting out guidance on precaution of the virus targeting different groups of people, different places and vehicles based on conditions in Wuhan. We continue to guide the work of scientific disinfection, health protection and psychological assistance in communities. We have strengthened cooperation with provincial and municipal publicity departments to publicize common sense and skills of disinfection, psychological intervention and epidemic prevention and control in communities. We designated related provincial-level regions to offer pairing-up assistance to Hubei's 14 cities, prefectures and county-level cities apart from Wuhan. Under the unified leadership of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and the provincial government, people in cities of Hubei have been fully mobilized to carry out mass prevention and control and grid-based management have also been implemented in those cities to prevent outflow and spread of the epidemic.

Chang Jile:

First, we have strengthened organizational leadership of the prevention and control work of the outbreak and implemented administrative management responsibilities. A joint prevention and control mechanism and special shift for prevention and control work in communities have been established to supervise and inspect the implementation of community prevention and control measures.

Second, we have strengthened health education, issued health tips and medical advices. An emergency broadcast system has been fully activated to guide the public to correctly understand and avoid the virus by ensuring personal protection.

Third, we have fully implemented the screening work. According to the instructions of Vice Premier Sun Chunlan and under the guidance of the central government group, work teams consisting of Party members and cadres, grid management staff, community police, property management service staff and volunteers, are required to do a good job in comprehensive screening detection and body temperature checks in communities to ensure no one is missed. In the meantime, the work of screening and registration as well as timely reporting should be well organized through telephone and WeChat.

Fourth, four types of people who are identified through screening are admitted to hospitals and isolated to control the infection source and cut off the transmission route.

Fifth, they implement closed-off management of residential blocks. The cadres, who normally work in offices now come down into the neighborhoods and onto the epidemic frontline, report to the nearest post in the neighborhood, strictly implement the management system demanding temperature measurement and neighborhood entrance registration. And the duty watchmen go out onto the streets to patrol.

Sixth, they strengthen the special governance of environmental sanitation, strictly clean, disinfect and ventilate public places where crowds trend to gather, especially strengthen environmental governance of the farmer's markets, and implement environmental sanitation measures in each block, unit, family and individual, in order to prevent the spread of disease.

Chang Jile:

At the same time, when we went to other cities, prefectures, counties and villages in Hubei province to research and supervise, we found that the provincial administration has also taken many effective measures to strengthen epidemic prevention and control in the rural areas. For example, they have implemented a multi-level guarantee responsibility work mechanism for cadres working in villages. First, the cadres go to the villages every day to supervise and take the lead in epidemic prevention and control work. They establish a connecting network of cadres linked with the people, as well as working groups to help and offer support, trying to avoid villagers having to go outside their community or town. Villagers can look to village cadres in time to know the situation and report information.

Second, they have stepped up publicity and education efforts about epidemic prevention, give full play to the role of the group leaders of villages and residential units, as well as community block watchmen, who go from door to door teaching necessary prevention and control knowledge and providing protective supplies to every household.

Third, they implement the strictest prevention measures to resolutely curb the spread of the epidemic, by stopping all unnecessary activities, preventing the gathering of people and strengthening daily patrolling. Whenever they find anyone who wants to go out, they will promptly seek to discourage them. There are personnel on duty round-the-clock, and all incoming and outgoing individuals will be registered for checks. Village cadres in every village adopt a person-to-person watchful approach, keeping a close eye on village returnees, the ones with fever, suspected and confirmed patients, as well as all those who have had close contact with these people.

Fourth, they establish a register of confirmed patients, tracking and managing the outflow and inflow of individuals, implementing the "Five Taking Care of One" policy on key individuals, which means that five people of a village epidemic frontline commander, a senior village official, a watchman, a village group cadre, and a doctor will watch over a specific individual, and provide them with a "Five in One" toolkit package which includes a contact card, an epidemic information paper, a thermometer, a bag of protective gloves and a bag of facial masks. They will be capable of adaptation to suit changing circumstances.

Fifth, they enhance the monitoring of public opinion, establishing a village-block two-level public opinion monitoring team and a 24-hour duty system, so that they can investigate and verify any situation in a timely manner, then handle the situation and respond to the public questionings in time, so as to maintain the social order. Thank you.

Lianhe Zaobao of Singapore:

We know the Fangcang makeshift hospital of Wuhan is being used for receiving confirmed and suspected patients. Will the arrangement increase the risk of cross infection? Will it become a breeding ground of infection? In addition, what role has the Fangcang makeshift hospital played in controlling the epidemic so far? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

Thank you for your question. I'll give the floor to Ms. Jiao.

Jiao Yahui:

First of all, I would like to make it clear the makeshift hospitals now only receive confirmed cases with mild symptoms, so no cross infection will happen there. In addition, our experts in nosocomial infection have guided medical workers to take preventive measures and perform regular disinfection during the construction and in the process of using the hospital facilities.

In addition, the makeshift hospitals have played a key role in epidemic prevention and control. There is still a shortage of medical resources in Wuhan; meanwhile, the makeshift hospitals that can be built really fast at a lower cost are able to save more regular hospital beds for patients with severe symptoms or in critical condition to achieve a better treatment effect.

The makeshift hospital is playing a good role. We have built nine of these facilities in Wuhan, treating more than 5,600 patients and creating a capacity of nearly 7,000 beds. Recently, several batches of cured patients have been discharged from such hospitals, so it means the emergency hospital has achieved good effect. There will be more makeshift hospitals established in the city to treat patients, and we will make all-out efforts to admit all patients into these facilities and achieve full recovery of all of them. Thank you.

Xinhua:

According to the official data released, the proportion of severe cases is higher in Hubei province, especially in Wuhan, than in other places. What therefore is the plan for conducting medical treatment, especially for severe cases, and what is the design of hospital layout? Thank you.

Wang Hesheng:

Thank you for your question. The situation that you mentioned is true: the proportion of severe cases is higher in Wuhan than in other places. This issue has also concerned the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and the Premier. They have repeatedly paid attention to the situation, given instructions and offered guidance. They raised the requirements on medical treatment for severe cases, calling for the conducting of careful research into the situation and for it to be tackled with sound solutions. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who heads the special work group sent by the central government, convened meetings of experts from various fields to analyze and evaluate the situation, to summarize the lessons learned for conducting medical treatment, and to optimize the plan for diagnosis and treatment. These meetings brought together treatment experiences from across the country and have continuously perfected the guide for diagnosis and treatment.

The fifth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan has been released, aiming to increase the admission and cure rate, and decrease the infection rate and the number of fatalities, which is at the top of our agenda. The "four concentration" principle we adhere to means concentrating patients, concentrating experts, concentrating resources and concentrating treatment efforts. We will try our best to mobilize as many resources as we can to minimize deaths. Next, let's give the floor to Jiao Yahui to introduce the detailed measures and methods.

Jiao Yahui:

I will explain more about measures we take when treating patients in a severe condition. First, we stick to the principle that patients are classified and given concentrated treatment, quality resources are pooled and experts are called together for the virus fight. Besides three key designated hospitals – Jinyintan, Pulmonary and Zhongnan hospitals, we have further increased the number of designated hospitals for severe cases. Key Hospitals under National Health Commission (NHC) and Hubei provincial hospitals in Wuhan including Sino-French New City Branch and Guanggu Branch of Tongji Hospital, the west campus of Wuhan Union Hospital, Hubei Cancer Hospital and the eastern branch of Hubei People's Hospital were also designated to offer concentrated treatment for cases in severe condition. At present, these hospitals have 5,000 beds available.

Second, high-level medical teams from hospitals under the NHC and various provinces are called to help in the key designated hospitals in the epicenter of the epidemic. They take over the whole ward systemically. Among these medical teams some are led by academicians, as Mr. He introduced, including Zhong Nanshan, Li Lanjuan, Wang Chen and Qiao Jie with Peking University Third Hospital. They are on the front line to guide the efforts of treating severe cases and their teams take over the whole ward for severe patients systemically. In addition, experts of respiration, infection and intensive care medicine all play important role in these teams.

Third, besides medical instruments in Hubei province, we also called for these medical teams to bring their existing instruments from their own hospitals to designated hospitals for severe cases in Wuhan including breathing machines, monitors, and ECMO, which are put into use immediately and play an important role in the treatment process. At the same time, we have organized national, provincial and municipal-level teams of experts to form a grid mode of management in designated hospitals for non-severe cases. These experts guide the treatment on a circuit, evaluate hospitalized patients, detect cases in severe condition and transfer them to the designated hospitals for advanced treatment, which helps to achieve concentrated management and good treatment.

Xi Yanchun:

Today, the State Council Information Office holds this press conference in Wuhan, Hubei province. We want to brief in a timely, accurate and comprehensive way on the virus fight together with hundreds of journalists on the front lines. Following is the press conference by the Information Office of Hubei provincial government. The time of press conference will be adjusted to 4 pm from tomorrow, and we welcome your careful attention.

The prevention and control of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is currently at its most crucial stage. We will make a concerted effort to combat the virus and never been crushed by any difficulty and danger. We believe that under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, all Chinese people work hard together and will resolutely win the war against the pneumonia epidemic.

Today's speakers are all comrades braving on the front lines of virus fight. They work very hard, and thanks again to our speakers and thanks to everybody. The press conference is hereby concluded.

Translated and edited by Zhang Liying, Wang Yiming, Huang Shan, Li Huiru, Cui Can, Zhang Junmian, Yang Xi, Zhang Rui, Gao Zhan, He Shan, Wang Yanfang, Zhou Jing, Wang Wei, Fan Junmei, Guo Xiaohong, David Ball. In case of any dispute over a discrepancy, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.