Shenzhen Government Online
City a model for COVID-19 prevention and control: expert
From: Shenzhen Daily
Updated: 2020-08-05 09:08

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Dr. Zhang Wenhong gives a lecture at the Shenzhen Talent Training Institute. Yang Haohan


A leading Chinese infectious disease control expert has commended Shenzhen for setting a great example for metropolises in COVID-19 prevention and control.


“The people in Shenzhen work and live like normal, and that is the highest level of prevention and control,” Dr. Zhang Wenhong, who led the fight against COVID-19 in Shanghai, told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on Sunday.


Known for his blunt and often humorous tips on COVID-19 prevention and control, Zhang has become a household name since the COVID-19 outbreak in China.


In a lecture at the Shenzhen Talent Training Institute, Zhang mentioned that Shenzhen’s virus prevention and control work is very impressive.


“When the first wave of the pandemic hit, Shenzhen was under great pressure because at that time the virus testing capabilities in the country were unable to meet the demand. However, Shenzhen did a satisfactory job in data tracking, patient tracking, community quarantine and the early warning from front-line fever clinics, which ensured there were no loopholes left,” he said.


To brace for a possible spread of the disease, Shenzhen made a farsighted move to expand treatment facilities at the No. 3 People’s Hospital, the city’s designated hospital for infectious disease treatment, as a precaution, and dispatched elite medics from across the city to aid the hospital, a method Zhang thinks highly of.


Despite the fact that as a city of immigrants, Shenzhen has a number of checkpoints with high risks of imported cases, the city has done a good job at prevention and control by setting up more quarantine spots and improving testing capabilities.


“It proves Shenzhen is strong in social governance because all the work needs pooling maximum social resources,” he said.


Zhang, who made a trip to Shenzhen No. 3 People’s Hospital, said the hospital can conduct 7,000 to 8,000 tests each day and he believes it can meet the demand in case of possible increases of imported cases in the coming days.


“I think it can serve as a significant reference for the country’s fight against the epidemic,” Zhang said.


As Hong Kong grapples with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, he urged Shenzhen, as its neighbor, to remain vigilant and take precise prevention and control measures.


But he is optimistic because Shenzhen has a well-performing early warning system and is well-equipped to deal with imported cases if any may occur.


“There should be no major risks in the city. I believe Shenzhen can contain the epidemic within the shortest possible time.


“COVID-19 will probably exist for a long time. People justifiably worry about imported cases. But we have to restart our life. Shenzhen has a very strong epidemic prevention force.


“I guess Shenzhen is the sole city that boasts a negative-pressure ward of 1,000 beds, but perhaps they will not be needed because you have done so well in prevention and control.”




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