As of June 29, China had administered over 1.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, reaching yet another milestone toward building herd immunity by the end of 2021, according to data released by the National Health Commission. U.S. broadcaster CNN called the achievement an "astonishing milestone".
Strict Prevention and Control Non Negotiable
On the afternoon of June 5, Zhang Wenhong, director of the National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases and the Department of Infectious Diseases at Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, made an appearance at the Yunnan Science Forum held in Kunming and delivered a speech titled ''Challenges of COVID-19 and Building an Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control System'', which was very well received by attendees.
Zhang said: "Equality is what matters and is what we pursue in the battle against COVID-19." Equality formed an important component of his speech.
In the first quarter of 2020, China dispatched medical teams from across the country to support Wuhan and was able to contain the pandemic within a mere two to three months, said Zhang, who added, however, that today there are still cases of the virus in various places around the country which is a cause for concern.
''Foreign counterparts wondered how China could control the outbreak in such a short time and why it is not easing the prevention and control measures. That's because what we have done and are doing is to eliminate severe inequality. Now, China is the only country in the world that has a zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19 cases. Once the COVID-19 sweeps the country, a lot of elderly people will die, that's why we struggle to find a balance between safety and freedom in the pandemic prevention and control,'' said Zhang.
Zhang added that all the Chinese people united under the strong leadership of the government, and in a sense it is the Chinese culture of unity that helped the country get through this difficult time.
He said the seasonal influenza has a case fatality rate of only 0.1 percent, while the case fatality rate of COVID-19 is 20 times as high. China controlled the pandemic in the shortest time and no other country could have taken on such a big challenge. China’s science and technology have made evident contributions in this regard.
"China had an effective public health emergency response during the pandemic, which was basically contained two or three months after Level 1 public health emergency response was launched," said Zhang.
Referring to the country's science and technologies, Zhang stressed the need to have confidence in Chinese vaccines and for people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. ''Recently in Guangzhou, we are experiencing a difficult time to control the pandemic. When there are 130 infections, there will be no deaths. But when there are 1300 infections, the fatality rate will be 0.5 percent, and will rise to 5 percent when there are 13,000 infections. That’s why we encourage people to get vaccinated,'' said Zhang.
Currently, preventing imported cases should be our top priority, especially in Yunnan, Zhang suggested. ''Nearly 2 billion doses had been administered across the world, but only 1 percent had been administered in least developed countries, especially in those that border Yunnan.''
China's shield and Spear Can Smash COVID-19
Zhang said, international data showed that China's vaccine was 78 percent effective. Though it is not 100 percent effective, the 78 percent efficacy would help slow the spread of the pandemic dramatically.
He pointed out that Shanghai had done a good job in dealing with the locally transmitted cases recently thanks to regular nucleic acid tests, using the metaphor of a spear and shield to illustrate these efforts.
On one hand, China's ''shield'' should be as solid and unbreakable as possible. On the other hand, the ''spear'' as a symbol of preventive measures, should be used promptly to protect the country from the attack of any COVID-19 variant.
''The pandemic won't end anytime soon and its risks defy our imagination. We have no idea whether new variants are more infectious and threatening. I suggest all of you go and get vaccinated, and this way, we can create our own solid shield and sharp spear. Also, we should call on people to get vaccinated because freedom can't come without vaccines,'' said Zhang.