Shanghai credits quick response for effective epidemic control

Quick response and effective coordination were key in Shanghai controlling recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the city, according to a local senior health official.

Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said the city has set out emergency response procedures and detailed requirements to handle local epidemics at an early stage, and the coordination between city and district governments is also very important.

"The first 24 hours after the outbreak is very important and we call it the 'golden 24 hours', with timely information published to the public, epidemiological investigation, nucleic acid testing, and quarantine of patients, suspected patients and close contacts being conducted as soon as possible," he said at a news conference on Thursday.

Shanghai also faces great pressure to handle possible outbreaks from imported cases, as the number of inbound flights and passengers to the city accounted for more than one-third of the total in the country and the volume of imported goods accounted for 40 to 50 percent of the total in China, he said.

To handle the risk of imported infections, the city has adhered to early detection and response as well as dealing with risks from the lowest level with the smallest costs, he said.

The city has administered 41.55 million COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 20.58 million people fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, he added.