Xi Jinping Establishes Party Leadership Group to Respond to 'Wuhan Pneumonia'... "Prevention and Control Are Top Priorities"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Chinese Communist Party has established a leading group to respond to the 'Wuhan Pneumonia' outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus infection. This is to focus on preventing the rapid increase of novel coronavirus infections during the Spring Festival period, when large-scale movement occurs.

According to Xinhua News Agency on the 26th, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party Central Committee the day before to discuss the response to Wuhan Pneumonia. At this meeting, a leading group for epidemic prevention and control was established under the Party Central Committee to follow the instructions of the Standing Committee. The Party Central Committee plans to dispatch a guidance team to Hubei Province to oversee on-site operations.

The meeting pointed out the need to strictly manage people entering and leaving Wuhan and Hubei Province to prevent the spread. It was also suggested that other regions need to implement prevention and control of floating populations, strict isolation of confirmed patients, and thorough isolation and testing of suspected patients and close contacts. It was emphasized that large-scale events during the Spring Festival should be reduced in each region, and gatherings of large numbers of people should be avoided whenever possible.

The Standing Committee urged early detection, early reporting, early isolation, and early treatment of patients. It also called for supervision of the sale of wild animals and poultry in traditional markets. Furthermore, necessary measures such as disinfection and temperature checks should be conducted at key facilities like train stations and airports, as well as on transportation means such as cars, trains, and airplanes, and suspected patients should be isolated and observed.

President Xi stated at the meeting that "the novel coronavirus infection is spreading rapidly in a serious situation," and emphasized the importance and urgency of virus prevention and control. He added, "Life is heavier than Mount Tai. Prevention and control are our responsibility," urging party committees and governments at all levels to prioritize this work above all else.

President Xi also pointed out the need to develop meticulous plans and implement effective measures to curb the spread of the disease. He emphasized, "With strong confidence, unity, scientific prevention and treatment, and accurate policy implementation, we will surely win the battle against the virus."

Meanwhile, in Wuhan, amid shortages of medical personnel, hospital beds, and testing equipment, military and civilian medical staff have been urgently deployed. The National Health Commission organized 1,230 medical personnel into six teams to be dispatched to Wuhan. Additionally, 450 medical staff from the medical universities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's army, navy, and air force traveled overnight from Shanghai, Chongqing, and Xi'an to Wuhan. On the same day, 136 medical personnel dispatched from 30 hospitals in Shanghai and 128 medical staff from Guangdong Province were also deployed to Wuhan in the early morning.

Since the day before, Wuhan has been constructing an emergency hospital with 1,000 beds, similar to the one built during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, with 24-hour construction underway. This hospital is expected to be completed by February 1 and ready for use from the 3rd. To address the shortage of hospital beds, Wuhan plans to build another hospital with 1,300 beds within 15 days. Currently, Wuhan has secured 4,000 beds to accommodate confirmed and suspected patients and plans to increase this number to 10,000 by the end of this month.