CHINA TO CONTINUE WORK WITH WHO, COUNTRIES TO SAFEGUARD HEALTH

China has confidence and capability to win the battle against the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday after the World Health Organization declared the pneumonia outbreak in China a public health emergency of international concern.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in an online statement that China will continue working with the WHO and other countries to safeguard regional and global public health security.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Chinese government has been taking the most comprehensive and rigorous prevention and control measures with a high sense of responsibility for people's health, Hua said.

Many of these measures go well beyond the requirements of the International Health Regulations, she added.

China also informed relevant parties and shared the genome sequence of the coronavirus in a timely manner, which has been recognized and commended by the WHO and many countries, she said.

She noted that China has been in close communication and cooperation with the WHO.

WHO experts recently conducted a field trip to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and Director-General of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has just visited Beijing and discussed containment and mitigation of the 2019-nCoV with the Chinese side, according to Hua.

The WHO chief commended China's efforts and spoke highly of China's contribution to the world by fighting against the novel coronavirus, she said.

PREMIER CALLS FOR INTENSIFIED RESEARCH ON VACCINES

Premier Li Keqiang called on Thursday for expedited steps to research and develop vaccines and effective pharmaceuticals against the novel coronavirus, in an effort to improve medical treatment and reduce the mortality rate of the pneumonia-causing virus.

Li's remarks came as he visited the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing and presided over a symposium with health experts.

The safety and the health of the people must be placed first and foremost, he said.

The China CDC should devote every minute to finding the source of the novel virus and its transmission and pathogenic mechanism and accelerate research on vaccines, he said.

He also urged the national public health institute to respond to public concerns and doubts in a timely manner and improve the public's capacity and awareness for self-protection.

The premier commended the major contribution made by health workers nationwide for staying at the front line in the war against the outbreak and fighting for the health of the people.

The key to winning the battle against the outbreak is improving the effectiveness of medical treatment and lowering its mortality rate, he said.

Vaccines and effective pharmaceuticals are the nemesis of the novel virus, and a clear understanding of the virus is required in order to overcome it, he said.

He called for more coordination nationwide to unite experts from different areas and disciplines in order to enhance research and clinical cooperation.

It is important to speed up the screening and application of clinical drugs and the development of reagents that can confirm infections as well as vaccines and effective drugs, he said.

He urged the authorities to organize top researchers to conduct in-depth research of the diagnosis of cases and patient treatment in order to summarize treatment experience and enable the improvement of treatment plans and the timely sharing of this information.

Li expressed his hope that health experts can step up research and analysis of the novel virus, keep monitoring its latest developments and offer professional support to more targeted measures for epidemic control and prevention.

He called for scientific standards to be made in terms of individual protection, work protection, medical protection and the segregation of suspected cases. These standards must vary based on different areas, venues and sectors, he added.

The premier stressed the necessity to dispatch and use medical protection resources in a scientific manner and ensure that they could be used where they are needed most.

He also cautioned against hiding or underreporting the number of infections, saying that information on the epidemic must be made public transparently.

Also on Thursday, a steering group sent by the central government to Hubei province to guide work to control the outbreak visited a hospital in Wuhan, the provincial capital, to help coordinate the work in medical treatment and outbreak prevention and control.

The group, led by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, met with medical staff, learned of their working and living conditions as well as their proposals and opinions about epidemic control, treatment of patients and protective measures for doctors and nurses working on the front line.

Sun called for greater efforts to strengthen the protection of medical staff to ensure their safety and asked the doctors and nurses to protect themselves with proper measures as their safety matters in the battle to save more infected people.

She called for allocating medical resources in a more reasonable way and treating critically ill patients in a timely manner to reduce the mortality rate in order to boost the confidence of the nation to win the battle against the virus.

The State Council also urged the governments of all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions throughout the country to coordinate the production and allocation of key materials used for the prevention and control of the contagion to ensure their adequate supply, according to a notice released on Thursday by the General Office of the State Council.

HIGH-TECH UTILIZED IN BATTLE AGAINST OUTBREAK

China's electronics and information sector is making a big splash in combating the novel coronavirus, as the authorities and companies scramble to leverage technological prowess to further contain the outbreak.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has called for immediate efforts in using advanced technologies including big data to analyze the outbreak, monitor the floating population and prevent its sustained spread.

"As the anti-coronavirus battle has entered a key period, cutting-edge technology should be utilized to contain the outbreak in a more scientific and effective way," said Chen Zhaoxiong, vice-minister of industry and information technology.

More than 50 electronics and information companies have provided necessary IT equipment and other technological support to the affected areas. By Wednesday, the total donations reached 3 billion yuan ($432.5 million), according to the China Information Technology Industry Federation.

The construction of Huoshenshan Hospital and Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, were good examples showing the power of electronics and information technology in the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

It took China's three major telecommunications operators — China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom — around just three days to complete construction of the communication network at Huoshenshan Hospital. The full coverage of 5G in the two hospitals will not only ensure a smooth and reliable communications environment but will also play a critical role in intelligent medical treatment.

Industry insiders pointed out that to pull through the novel coronavirus outbreak, the wide use of electronics and information technologies is as important as wearing a surgical mask.

"Past experience has shown us that the electronics and information sector, especially the telecom segment, has played a significant role in conquering such emergencies," said Xiang Ligang, a telecom veteran and director-general of the telecom industry association the Information Consumption Alliance.

To support hospitals in Wuhan, leading software firm Neusoft donated high-end CT equipment and software worth a total of 27 million yuan to hospitals. Computer manufacturer Lenovo donated advanced IT equipment including computers and tablets, while Yonyou Software offered its cloud service platform to the city.

With all this cutting-edge IT equipment, hospitals in Wuhan can gather, manage and analyze huge amounts of data online. They can also do remote consultation and track patients.

Hao Peng, Party secretary of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, said that the role of technology should be lifted to a new high as it will help boost "the first line of defense" against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Several Chinese tech startups have leveraged big data to develop applications, where people can type in a train or flight number to check whether they have been exposed to confirmed coronavirus cases.

To avoid potential infection, Meituan-Dianping announced on Thursday that it will launch intelligent delivery lockers, which will enable customers to take the ordered meals from the locker instead of deliverymen.

Mapping companies including Amap and Baidu Map have added real-time population flow into their online maps so that people can avoid traveling to densely populated areas.

RAILWAY TRIPS PLUMMET IN VIRUS PREVENTION EFFORT

China is expected to witness its railway passenger trips slump nearly 75 percent to 3.2 million on Thursday, the sixth day of the lunar new year, from the equivalent day last year, according to the country's top railway operator.

The railway sector has been cutting passenger train services to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to China State Railway Group.

The country handled about 2.93 million railway trips on Wednesday, down 73.8 percent from the same day last year on the Chinese lunar calendar, the company said.

China's railway network has sent 6,190 tons of materials necessary for the fight against the epidemic as of 6 pm on Wednesday.

MILLIONS OF EYES ON UPCOMING HOSPITAL

Some 4,700 workers are laboring day and night at the site of the Huoshenshan Hospital, an upcoming emergency specialty hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, to combat and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus that has infected thousands.

Many more people are keeping an eye on the construction. Official reports say more than 60 million people watched a livestream from the construction site in the first two days. Someone rightly remarked that the quality of the new hospital building can be trusted−"there are 60 million people supervising quality!"

Of course, the 60 million viewers do not take the self-appointed title of supervisors seriously. This is just light banter to keep up spirits during difficult times. And they are not the only ones to have titles. Livestreaming from the construction site has become so popular that most of the machines used for work, too, have acquired a popular title. A small digging machine, called "Little Yellow", even has its online fans cheering every move it makes.

But one should not underestimate the power of these "supervisors".With as many as 30 million people watching the construction live at any given point of time, there is transparency and a smooth exchange of information, helping needs to be met on time.

So, are more digging machines needed at the site? More drivers? Are the workers getting food? Among the online viewers, there are enough skilled people willing to chip in should the need arise.

Such smooth exchange of information−when supply can quickly match demand−can raise the efficiency for everyone.

The Huoshenshan Hospital will be spread across 33,900 sq m and be equipped with 700 to 1,000 beds. Relatively, it is going to be a big hospital. Though its construction began only on Jan 24, it is likely to start operating from the first week of next month. Such a construction feat would be unimaginable without smooth information flow and efficient coordination. Once the construction is complete, the hospital will need doctors, nurses and other support staff. That will be another occasion to witness the magic of smooth information flow.

HUBEI WORKS TO CURB SPREAD OF PNEUMONIA

Hubei province has been striving to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in cities and towns outside the provincial capital of Wuhan, according to its governor.

Governor Wang Xiaodong told a news conference in Wuhan on Wednesday night that the provincial government has started giving equal attention to the epidemic's prevention and control in Wuhan as well as other areas in the province.

"Measures are being taken to strengthen related efforts in key places such as Huanggang, Xiaogan and Jingmen cities," he said, stressing that Huanggang is the second most-affected city in Hubei following Wuhan.

"So far, more than 1,000 confirmed infections and suspected cases have been reported in Huanggang," he said. Wang said the provincial government will not sit and watch Huanggang repeat what happened in Wuhan and decided on Tuesday night to send a work group to the city to offer help.

According to him, there is still a shortage of medical forces in Hubei, and the province has set up or expanded more than 70 hospitals, bringing in over 8,000 new beds.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 1,535 medical professionals from 11 teams from regions outside Hubei have been distributed to 10 cities outside Wuhan, including Huanggang and Xiaogan, Wang noted, adding a special hospital dedicated to the outbreak began operating in Huanggang on Tuesday.

Starting Friday, all cars and electric bicycles are not allowed in downtown areas of Huanggang and the counties it administers. All urban roads are closed except for vehicles for medical services, rescue and daily supplies.

The city suspended public transportation services on Jan 24. All outbound, intercity and intercounty roads were closed a day later.

Huanggang is the second most populous city in Hubei after Wuhan, with a permanent resident population of about 6.3 million, and is the largest exporter of workers in the province.

Due to its proximity to Wuhanabout 80 kilometers or 30 minutes on an intercity train−a lot of Huanggang people go to Wuhan to find jobs, local media reported, saying around 15 percent of people who left Wuhan before the provincial capital's lockdown on Jan 23 arrived in Huanggang.

The number of confirmed infections increased by 172 in Huanggang on Wednesday, raising the city's tally to 496, according to the local health commission.

On Wednesday, inspectors from a consultation team sent by the central government to oversee Hubei's counter-epidemic endeavors went to Huanggang to check the local situation. They requested local authorities and medical services speed up screening processes and the confirmation of suspected infections.

CONFIRMED, SUSPECTED NOVEL CORONAVIRUS CASES CONTINUE TO RISE

Both confirmed and suspected infections of the novel coronavirus continued to increase on Thursday, according to data released by the National Health Commission on Friday morning.

On the Chinese mainland, the total number of confirmed infections of the virus climbed to 9,692 as of Thursday midnight, including 213 deaths. Among them, 1,982 cases and 43 deaths were newly reported on Thursday, official data shows.

There were also 4,812 new suspected cases reported on Thursday, pushing the total number of suspected infections to 15,238, according to the commission.

A day ago, the commission reported 4,148 new suspected cases, which suggests that the disease is still spreading.

While a total of 1,527 patients remain in serious condition, 171 people have been released from hospitals after getting cured, the commission said.

A total of 102,427 people that have had close contact with infected patients are still under medical observation, though 4,201 such people were freed from observation on Thursday.

The number of confirmed infections in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan province had risen to 28 in total, according to the commission.

Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, reported 1,220 new confirmed cases and 42 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the two numbers up to 5,806 and 204 respectively, according to the province's health commission.

A total of 5,486 people sickened by the virus in the province are still being hospitalized. Among them, 804 people have serious symptoms and 290 are in critical condition, the provincial commission said.

It also said medical observation continues on 32,340 people.