CHINA / SOCIETY
China remains confident in the fight against the coronavirus: official
Published: Jan 31, 2020 12:34 AM

A staff member disinfects public seats at a community in Haidian District in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 29, 2020. Haidian district of Beijing has carried out disinfection work with the help of professional staff at residential communities to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Photo: Xinhua


China appreciates the efforts of other countries in helping to combat the novel coronavirus and is confident it will win the battle, a spokesperson from the National Health Commission (NHC) said at a press conference on Thursday. 

As of Wednesday, China has confirmed 7,711 domestic coronavirus cases that have been reported to the NHC, with 170 fatalities and 1,370 in critical condition, said NHC spokesperson Mi Feng. 

Since the outbreak, China has been communicating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and related countries. The country is willing to safeguard regional and global public health with WHO and the international community, Mi also said. 

Mi stressed that China and the US have exchanged information on preventative measures concerning the coronavirus. Disease control and prevention institutes have maintained active cooperation on the methods required to control an epidemic.   

China would like the US apply to the WHO and join its emergency committee on the novel coronavirus, Mi said.  

NHC director Ma Xiaowei on Monday had a conversation with US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. 

Azar praised China's transparency and the cooperation of both sides in areas like  sanitation on behalf of the US President Donald Trump, said Mi.

China has implemented stringent measures in its fight against the novel coronavirus, Wu Zunyou, an expert with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of China said at the press conference.

Wu cited examples that indicated how the Chinese government has taken responsibility, and its measures are transparent, noting that he is confident the country will win the battle against the novel coronavirus.

Wu said a woman from Shanghai was confirmed to have the novel coronavirus while she was on a business trip in Germany. Chinese health authorities immediately contacted German health officials regarding the case, where Germany implemented measures to prevent the spread of the virus.