Vice-Premier emphasizes shift from prevention to treatment

Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan said on Tuesday that securing access to medical services and medications are the most pressing tasks at the moment in the fight against COVID-19.

While new infections are rising in Beijing, the majority are asymptomatic or mild cases. A total of 50 serious or critical patients are being treated, she said during a visit to hospitals, pharmacies and primary health centers in the capital on Tuesday.

Sun said the production of medicines and testing kits has been accelerated so the demand from residents can be met, adding that the 303 fever clinics in the city should optimize procedures to expand capacity and triage protocols, while services offered by community and online hospitals should be improved.

Communities are required to shift their focus to providing healthcare services, ranging from delivering therapies to offering psychological consultations. Protection of the elderly, children, those with preexisting illnesses, pregnant women and those on dialysis should be strengthened.

She stressed that following modifications to COVID-19 control policies, the national priority has been shifted from preventing infection to treatment. The goal at present is to protect health, prevent severe cases and guarantee the smooth transition of policy changes.