Hebei Provincial Governor Xu Qin Chairs Expert Symposium on COVID-19 Prevention and Control: Promoting the Deep Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Throughout the Entire Process of Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation

On January 11, Hebei Province Governor Xu Qin chaired a symposium, during which he held in-depth discussions with experts from the Medical and Epidemic Prevention Expert Group of the Shijiazhuang Municipal COVID-19 Response Command Center to analyze the characteristics of the epidemic, assess its trends, and jointly identify priority areas for the next phase of prevention and control efforts.

At the meeting, Gao Fu, head of the expert panel, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, delivered guiding remarks. Yuan Yadong, director of the Second Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University; Zhao Heling, director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Hebei Provincial People’s Hospital; Xing Yawei, director of the Hospital Infection Control Department at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University; and Chen Fenqiao, director of the Emergency Department at Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, each spoke in turn. Drawing on their respective areas of expertise and experience, they put forward specific recommendations and suggestions on such aspects as isolation protocols, case management, hospital infection control, and the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. The experts emphasized the need to conduct epidemiological investigations in a scientific and efficient manner by further expanding the scope of investigations, strengthening the investigation workforce, enhancing inter-agency coordination and leveraging big-data screening, so as to ensure that all individuals who should be investigated are investigated, all who should be tested are tested, and all who should be isolated are isolated. They also stressed the importance of strictly managing quarantine facilities in accordance with established standards, intensifying training for staff, and rigorously preventing any cross-contamination between pathways used by medical personnel and those used by quarantined individuals. Furthermore, it is essential to raise awareness of personal protective measures among all hospital staff, standardize the proper donning and doffing of protective equipment, and rigorously implement nucleic acid testing for inpatients and their accompanying caregivers, in order to do everything possible to prevent nosocomial infections. Finally, the experts underscored the need to adhere to the principles of early detection and early treatment, promptly admitting patients with mild symptoms to prevent progression to severe illness, and to consistently integrate traditional Chinese and Western medicine, implementing a “one patient, one plan, one strategy” approach to ensure the deep involvement of TCM throughout the entire continuum of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Xu Qin listened attentively to the remarks of all participants, engaged in immediate interactive exchanges, and expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the experts’ constructive suggestions. He instructed the Provincial Health Commission and other relevant departments to promptly collate and synthesize all opinions and recommendations and swiftly incorporate them into the various work plans for epidemic prevention and control. He emphasized that, in the face of the complex and grave situation in epidemic prevention and control, it is essential to align our thinking and actions with the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. Under the strong leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, we must put the people first and prioritize life above all else, pool the wisdom and strength of all sectors, adhere to the combination of specialized and mass efforts in joint prevention and control, make decisions based on scientific principles and respect for objective laws, ensure accountability at every level and rigorously implement all measures, and adopt decisive and forceful actions to resolutely win the battle to eradicate the epidemic.

Hebei Vice Governor Ding Xiufeng and Provincial Government Secretary-General Zhu Haowen attended the symposium.