sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
Interview with Wu Zunyou: my country's epidemic prevention and control has established systematic measures, and there will be no more large-scale epidemics
2020-12-31 18:44 Reporter: Bai Jinlei Editor: Zhao Ze
Do people need to be injected with the new crown vaccine? Wu Zunyou said that everyone is susceptible, everyone is likely to be infected, and everyone needs protection. But like the current situation in China, it doesn't matter whether it is fighting or not in the short term, because there is basically no large-scale epidemic of the epidemic at the social level.
Will the winter epidemic make a comeback? Can cold chain packaged foods be edible? Is it necessary for all people to vaccinate? Recently, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, answered the above questions in an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News and summarized the fight against new coronary pneumonia this year (pneumonia caused by new coronavirus infection, the same below) experience of.
Since the beginning of winter, there have been sporadic repeated epidemics in various places. According to data from the National Health Commission, as of 24:00 on December 30, according to reports from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, there are currently 368 confirmed cases (including 6 severe cases), and a total of 82,050 cured and discharged cases The total number of deaths was 4634, and the total number of confirmed cases was 87,052. There were no existing suspected cases. Whether the epidemic will come back, WU Zun said, "China has a set of measures to improve the prevention and control system, can be found the first time, the first time control, does not appear (the new crown epidemic) pandemic."
Earlier and more The outer packaging of cold chain food was detected to be positive for the new coronavirus nucleic acid. Wu Zunyou explained that the detection of viral nucleic acid on the packaging bag indicates that the outer packaging may be contaminated by the virus and may enter the human body through appropriate means, such as hand touch and virus contamination The outer packaging of the food, contact with the nose, eye mucosa, etc. may cause infection, but if it (cold chain food) is eaten, it will not cause infection, because on the one hand, the food has been inactivated during the cooking process. On the other hand, the new crown will not spread through the digestive tract, and the human stomach acid is strong enough to inactivate it. "So far, (have not discovered) diseases that cause respiratory infections through the digestive tract, at least the new coronavirus will not." Wu Zunyou said.
Looking back on the course of fighting the epidemic in the past year, Wu Zunyou said that in 2020, the Chinese people have proved their strength to the world. This strength is demonstrated through the fight against the epidemic. This strength reflects the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. The people are united in overcoming difficulties, which can be said to be invincible. For him personally, he has also been greatly tempered. It is not only a concentrated application of past knowledge and experience, but also a process of constantly learning new knowledge.
Will the winter epidemic make a comeback? There have been systematic prevention and control measures, and no large-scale epidemic will occur. The
Beijing News: Recently, there have been repeated epidemics throughout the country in winter. Does it mean that new changes have taken place in the prevention and control of the epidemic since the beginning of winter? Many people are worried that the epidemic will return.
Wu Zunyou: In summer, ordinary logistics will not bring the virus in because the temperature is relatively high. After the winter, the weather is cold, but these logistics can bring the virus in, and the risk of infection is also greater. However, our country has a whole set of systematic prevention and control measures, which can be discovered and controlled immediately, so there will be no large-scale epidemic.
Beijing News: Many tests now show that the new coronavirus is on the outer packaging of some cold-chain foods, but we know that food cannot transmit the virus. Generally, living mammals are the viral vectors. How should this be understood?
Wu Zunyou: The positive detection of the new crown nucleic acid on the packaging bag indicates that there may be virus contamination. If it is through an appropriate method, it may enter the human body and cause infection; if it is not an appropriate method, it will not cause infection. The so-called proper method is that after a person’s hand is touched, the hand is contaminated, and after the contamination, he pinches his nose and rubs his eyes. At this time, the virus contaminates our mucous membranes and people may be infected. Respiratory virus infection is mainly caused by nasal mucosa or eye mucosa. But if it (food) is eaten through the digestive tract, it will not cause infection.
Beijing News: When people want to eat cold chain food, what should they pay attention to?
Wu Zunyou: When handling, pay attention to separate raw and cooked food, pay attention to splash pollution when washing under the faucet, wash the meat after touching it, and eat it after heating.
Beijing News: When the Wuhan epidemic broke out, it was also at the South China Seafood Market. Have you considered the relationship with cold chain seafood?
Wu Zunyou:The epidemic situation in Xinfadi in Beijing is a good reminder. It is related to seafood, because the patients in Xinfadi are mainly concentrated in the seafood sales area, which is very similar to the distribution of patients in the South China Seafood Market in Wuhan.
There were also data from Wuhan that showed that the earliest cases were mainly concentrated in the seafood sales area (of the South China Seafood Market), which should be related to seafood, but further evidence in this regard is difficult to find.
Need universal vaccines? After global interoperability, everyone should call, but it will not force the
Beijing News: Recently, some pharmaceutical companies announced that the effective rate of the third phase of the new coronary pneumonia vaccine has reached 90% or more. What is the development path and speed of the vaccine in our country and developed countries? The similarities and differences?
Wu Zunyou: Vaccines have been fully reported recently. The person in charge of the vaccine team at the Biological Center introduced that there are currently 5 vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials, and some results are also available. Its Chinese medicine (vaccine) has been in the UAE. The third phase of the experiment was completed with an effective rate of 86%.
The Beijing News: From an epidemiological perspective, can all hopes for the prevention and control of the new crown be pinned on the vaccine?
Wu Zunyou: That's not true. The existing prevention and control measures for the new crown epidemic cannot be relaxed before the vaccine can be fully effective. Normalized prevention and control measures, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands frequently, must be adhered to for individuals; for social departments, large gatherings must also be controlled. Because especially in winter, many retrospective surveys have found that relatively large-scale activities (the new coronavirus) spread faster. Therefore, it is very important to adhere to public health measures when the vaccine does not reach a certain immunization rate.
The Beijing News: After the vaccine is developed, does it need to be administered to all people in China?
Wu Zunyou:Everyone is susceptible, everyone can be infected, and everyone needs protection. But like the current situation in China, it doesn't matter whether it is fighting or not in the short term, because there is basically no large-scale epidemic in the society. But with the gradual liberalization of the country, people abroad are vaccinated. If we continue to follow the current method, then we will need the same vaccine strategy as abroad. Everyone has to be vaccinated. So we can't wait until then to start preparing, we have to start doing it now, but there are also priorities. It is impossible to eat a fat man in one bite and let all 1.4 billion people hit it at once.
Beijing News: After the vaccine appears, some people will consider price issues, side effects, etc. This will cause some people not to take the initiative to take the vaccine. Is it necessary to enforce the universal vaccine?
Wu Zunyou: In order to control the new crown epidemic in time, some measures are mandatory. This is because the health and life safety of the people were threatened at that time, but when the health of the people is not threatened, there is no need to take compulsory measures. Sexual measures, for example, after the outbreak of the epidemic in Shanghai, only a small part of the national nucleic acid test was performed, which had little effect on other ordinary people.
Beijing News: Someone has been immunized by infection (new coronavirus), but is infected again. Will this situation also occur after vaccination? How long are the vaccine antibodies effective?
Wu Zunyou: It may also happen, because the immune protection produced by vaccines is not necessarily permanent.
There is no way to estimate the specific protection time of the vaccine. You can only refer to the time that other coronavirus antibodies remain effective for 6 to 12 months, but some people may be infected again in three months. Because everyone's individual differences are different, it is related to age, to the severity of symptoms at the time of infection, and to the amount of virus infected. For example, if both of us are infected, because you are relatively young and have no symptoms, you produce fewer antibodies. I have severe infection symptoms and a large immune response. I will produce more antibodies and the antibodies last longer. Some, behind this is the problem of immunity.
Beijing News: If vaccines are not widely used, our country and other countries have different policies to prevent and control the epidemic. Will the expansion of international air navigation make Chinese people more susceptible?
Wu Zunyou: The epidemic prevention policies (countries) are basically the same, but our country has done better. Because there are so many strategies for epidemic control, the public health measures adopted by all countries are the same, but in the process of implementation, they have not been as comprehensive and thorough as China, and some European countries have also been forced to abandon the early so-called "herd immunity" strategy. .
If they follow the (domestic) standards, they can also be controlled. But they can’t achieve the same pace as ours. They also lock down the city, implement work from home, and have curfews, but their measures are not implemented enough and they always give exceptions. As long as there are exceptions, they give the virus. To take advantage of the opportunity, they can't do as everyone in China can strictly follow this requirement.
Clearing up the rumors of the epidemic: There is no evidence that the infectivity and pathogenicity of the new crown virus is declining or increasing.
Beijing News: When the epidemic just started, everyone said that we built a direct network reporting system after SARS, because the direct reporting system should be able to The early detection of the new crown epidemic does not mean that the direct reporting system is still imperfect? Or because of this epidemic, we found those that need to be checked for omissions?
Wu Zunyou: After fighting the new crown for more than a year, we have a certain understanding of the new crown virus. To answer your question, we need to clarify a few points. First of all, the network direct reporting system itself is not problematic. The establishment of a direct network reporting system is one of the most important infrastructure for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in my country since the occurrence of SARS, which enables disease control agencies at all levels to grasp the reporting events of various infectious diseases in their jurisdictions in the first time, so as to do A quick response. This surveillance system covering all levels of the country has continued to play an important role in the prevention and control of various acute and chronic infectious diseases such as plague, H5N1 avian influenza, H7N9 avian influenza, hepatitis, and AIDS.
Secondly, whether the new crown epidemic can be detected earlier depends on the early recognition of pneumonia of unknown cause (later confirmed as new crown pneumonia) and has no direct relationship with the direct reporting system. In winter, pneumonia is actually a very common disease, and not every patient with pneumonia can be diagnosed clearly in etiology, especially when a new pathogen-caused pneumonia case appears. There is a process and it takes time, including what is its pathogen, how infectious is it, how pathogenic it is, and how harmful is the society?
In fact, looking back at the discovery process of the new crown epidemic, it is not difficult to find out, precisely because our country has a corresponding surveillance system. The doctor who first reported a suspicious epidemic situation received a case of family cluster pneumonia and immediately reported it to the local health administrative department. After review by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, the first issue of strengthening the control of pneumonia of unknown cause was issued on December 30, 2019. It is notified that after the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu received the information that night, he immediately reported to the National Health Commission and worked until 3 am to arrange for the disease control experts to fly to Wuhan at 6 am the next day (December 31) On site, assist in the investigation and handling of the epidemic. This reaction speed is already very rapid. (edit: There is some evidence that the CDC was alerted in early December by lab results from an earlier patient in a different province. link The doctor's who posted their report to the CDC were punished. link s.s.)
In less than a week, the CDC experts isolated the virus and deciphered its genetic sequence, setting a record for the shortest time for humans to recognize a new infectious disease. Subsequently, the prevention and control plan for the disease was quickly released, instructing doctors across the country on how to identify and report cases, and instruct the national disease control system on how to confirm the epidemic, control the epidemic, and distribute diagnostic reagents. We believe that this series of responses is scientifically ordered and very rapid, and time can no longer be compressed.
When the new coronary pneumonia just occurred, it was not included in the list of diseases managed by legally reported infectious diseases in my country. It was not until January 20 that the new crown pneumonia was listed as a legally reported infectious disease before it could be managed in accordance with the law, and there was a legal basis for prevention and control measures such as lockdown.
In general, we need to have a process of understanding a new infectious disease, and the process of understanding the new crown has already taken (time) very short, and it is even too short.
The Beijing News: Some people think that if the city is closed earlier, the control effect will be better. What do you think?
Wu Zunyou: From the end of December last year (cases) to the subsequent closure of the city, our country has done very well. This disease is too difficult to control. The health systems in Europe and the United States are so powerful that they cannot be controlled. China has already controlled it. Very good. Closing the city is not a simple one-sentence thing. On the eve of the Spring Festival, to bring a large city with a population of tens of millions to an abrupt end, it requires superhuman courage and determination, incomparable courage, and comprehensive consideration of the corresponding supporting measures after the closure. In addition, when the city was closed on January 23 this year, there were not many cases that had been clearly diagnosed. Closing the city was the most wise and decisive decision made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. When I participated in the World Health Organization joint assessment in February, I made a calculation. The foreign leader of the WHO expert group also agreed that the decision to close the city in Wuhan has prevented about 1.5 million infections and 60,000 deaths in my country.
Even if I look back now, I think that the decision to close the city was actually very timely when the understanding of the disease was limited.
Previously, people thought that the (new crown virus) was transmitted from Wuhan, but several new scientific research results recently published in academic journals have proved that it may not be what people think, and it has long been in California and Italy. The (virus) spread in other countries is not all Wuhan (exported). (edit: Please see this thread. link s.s.)
Beijing News: Some patients now believe that after the new type of pneumonia is cured, there will be some sequelae, a decline in immunity, and even some people have trouble going upstairs. What do you think of this problem?
Wu Zunyou: There is no research result yet (the above conclusion is reached). There is an expert who worked with us. He was infected and has recovered now. He doesn't feel that way.
From January to the present, there is no evidence that the infectiousness and pathogenicity of the new coronavirus is declining or increasing. Whether a person develops symptoms after infection depends on the following factors: the number of viruses entering the person's body, the more the number, the greater the chance of symptoms; the less the number of contacts, the greater the chance of becoming an asymptomatic infection; the infected person The younger the age, the greater the proportion of asymptomatic patients; the severely ill or even death is related to age and depends on medical resources. If medical resources can’t handle well, then critical and dead cases may be Will increase.
Looking back on the past year: The Chinese people proved their strength to the world
Beijing News: Talk about your feelings about fighting the epidemic this year?
Wu Zunyou: In 2020, the Chinese people have proved their strength to the world. This strength is demonstrated through the fight against the epidemic. This strength reflects the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. (edit: He has to say this because he can be severely punished for disrupting the social order. s.s.)
From an individual point of view, there are two points, one is to get tempered, and the second is to do something for the society and the people. The knowledge learned and accumulated experience in the past have been applied in this response to the epidemic.
Beijing News: Through this epidemic, can scientific research in our country learn some new experiences and inspirations?
Wu Zunyou: We have done a great job in scientific research. The most successful aspect of China's response to the new crown this time is scientific research. It took us less than 7 days to isolate the virus, which is the shortest in human history; (edit: Probably because they already had a close gene match in one or both of the labs in Wuhan s.s.) it took nearly 6 months during the SARS period in 2003; and it took nearly 3 years for HIV to be reported from 1981 to 1983 Only then did I know that it was a disease caused by HIV. It took us only a few days to isolate the new coronavirus, and it was all done by the Chinese themselves.
We have four major scientific contributions. Isolating viruses, deciphering gene sequences, determining the incubation period, and determining the route of transmission are the most important and basic elements for understanding an infectious disease. These four discoveries should be said to be the most important discoveries in the scientific field in 2020, and they are also the greatest contribution made by Chinese scientists to mankind to control the new crown epidemic. However, the media basically did not report on these aspects and did not promote them well.
Vaccines are the application of some mature technologies. The most important thing is to isolate the virus, and then crack the virus structure, so that countries around the world can produce diagnostic reagents or research preventive vaccines according to the virus structure (gene sequence), and China has not applied for a patent, and diagnostic reagents in all countries are produced in accordance with Chinese genetic sequences. The gene sequence is equivalent to the chip of a mobile phone, which is the core technology that is stuck. With the gene sequence, reagents and vaccines can be developed. Without the gene sequence, neither reagents nor vaccines can be produced.
https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/160939851615360.html
2020-12-31 18:44 Reporter: Bai Jinlei Editor: Zhao Ze
Do people need to be injected with the new crown vaccine? Wu Zunyou said that everyone is susceptible, everyone is likely to be infected, and everyone needs protection. But like the current situation in China, it doesn't matter whether it is fighting or not in the short term, because there is basically no large-scale epidemic of the epidemic at the social level.
Will the winter epidemic make a comeback? Can cold chain packaged foods be edible? Is it necessary for all people to vaccinate? Recently, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, answered the above questions in an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News and summarized the fight against new coronary pneumonia this year (pneumonia caused by new coronavirus infection, the same below) experience of.
Since the beginning of winter, there have been sporadic repeated epidemics in various places. According to data from the National Health Commission, as of 24:00 on December 30, according to reports from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, there are currently 368 confirmed cases (including 6 severe cases), and a total of 82,050 cured and discharged cases The total number of deaths was 4634, and the total number of confirmed cases was 87,052. There were no existing suspected cases. Whether the epidemic will come back, WU Zun said, "China has a set of measures to improve the prevention and control system, can be found the first time, the first time control, does not appear (the new crown epidemic) pandemic."
Earlier and more The outer packaging of cold chain food was detected to be positive for the new coronavirus nucleic acid. Wu Zunyou explained that the detection of viral nucleic acid on the packaging bag indicates that the outer packaging may be contaminated by the virus and may enter the human body through appropriate means, such as hand touch and virus contamination The outer packaging of the food, contact with the nose, eye mucosa, etc. may cause infection, but if it (cold chain food) is eaten, it will not cause infection, because on the one hand, the food has been inactivated during the cooking process. On the other hand, the new crown will not spread through the digestive tract, and the human stomach acid is strong enough to inactivate it. "So far, (have not discovered) diseases that cause respiratory infections through the digestive tract, at least the new coronavirus will not." Wu Zunyou said.
Looking back on the course of fighting the epidemic in the past year, Wu Zunyou said that in 2020, the Chinese people have proved their strength to the world. This strength is demonstrated through the fight against the epidemic. This strength reflects the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. The people are united in overcoming difficulties, which can be said to be invincible. For him personally, he has also been greatly tempered. It is not only a concentrated application of past knowledge and experience, but also a process of constantly learning new knowledge.
Will the winter epidemic make a comeback? There have been systematic prevention and control measures, and no large-scale epidemic will occur. The
Beijing News: Recently, there have been repeated epidemics throughout the country in winter. Does it mean that new changes have taken place in the prevention and control of the epidemic since the beginning of winter? Many people are worried that the epidemic will return.
Wu Zunyou: In summer, ordinary logistics will not bring the virus in because the temperature is relatively high. After the winter, the weather is cold, but these logistics can bring the virus in, and the risk of infection is also greater. However, our country has a whole set of systematic prevention and control measures, which can be discovered and controlled immediately, so there will be no large-scale epidemic.
Beijing News: Many tests now show that the new coronavirus is on the outer packaging of some cold-chain foods, but we know that food cannot transmit the virus. Generally, living mammals are the viral vectors. How should this be understood?
Wu Zunyou: The positive detection of the new crown nucleic acid on the packaging bag indicates that there may be virus contamination. If it is through an appropriate method, it may enter the human body and cause infection; if it is not an appropriate method, it will not cause infection. The so-called proper method is that after a person’s hand is touched, the hand is contaminated, and after the contamination, he pinches his nose and rubs his eyes. At this time, the virus contaminates our mucous membranes and people may be infected. Respiratory virus infection is mainly caused by nasal mucosa or eye mucosa. But if it (food) is eaten through the digestive tract, it will not cause infection.
Beijing News: When people want to eat cold chain food, what should they pay attention to?
Wu Zunyou: When handling, pay attention to separate raw and cooked food, pay attention to splash pollution when washing under the faucet, wash the meat after touching it, and eat it after heating.
Beijing News: When the Wuhan epidemic broke out, it was also at the South China Seafood Market. Have you considered the relationship with cold chain seafood?
Wu Zunyou:The epidemic situation in Xinfadi in Beijing is a good reminder. It is related to seafood, because the patients in Xinfadi are mainly concentrated in the seafood sales area, which is very similar to the distribution of patients in the South China Seafood Market in Wuhan.
There were also data from Wuhan that showed that the earliest cases were mainly concentrated in the seafood sales area (of the South China Seafood Market), which should be related to seafood, but further evidence in this regard is difficult to find.
Need universal vaccines? After global interoperability, everyone should call, but it will not force the
Beijing News: Recently, some pharmaceutical companies announced that the effective rate of the third phase of the new coronary pneumonia vaccine has reached 90% or more. What is the development path and speed of the vaccine in our country and developed countries? The similarities and differences?
Wu Zunyou: Vaccines have been fully reported recently. The person in charge of the vaccine team at the Biological Center introduced that there are currently 5 vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials, and some results are also available. Its Chinese medicine (vaccine) has been in the UAE. The third phase of the experiment was completed with an effective rate of 86%.
The Beijing News: From an epidemiological perspective, can all hopes for the prevention and control of the new crown be pinned on the vaccine?
Wu Zunyou: That's not true. The existing prevention and control measures for the new crown epidemic cannot be relaxed before the vaccine can be fully effective. Normalized prevention and control measures, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands frequently, must be adhered to for individuals; for social departments, large gatherings must also be controlled. Because especially in winter, many retrospective surveys have found that relatively large-scale activities (the new coronavirus) spread faster. Therefore, it is very important to adhere to public health measures when the vaccine does not reach a certain immunization rate.
The Beijing News: After the vaccine is developed, does it need to be administered to all people in China?
Wu Zunyou:Everyone is susceptible, everyone can be infected, and everyone needs protection. But like the current situation in China, it doesn't matter whether it is fighting or not in the short term, because there is basically no large-scale epidemic in the society. But with the gradual liberalization of the country, people abroad are vaccinated. If we continue to follow the current method, then we will need the same vaccine strategy as abroad. Everyone has to be vaccinated. So we can't wait until then to start preparing, we have to start doing it now, but there are also priorities. It is impossible to eat a fat man in one bite and let all 1.4 billion people hit it at once.
Beijing News: After the vaccine appears, some people will consider price issues, side effects, etc. This will cause some people not to take the initiative to take the vaccine. Is it necessary to enforce the universal vaccine?
Wu Zunyou: In order to control the new crown epidemic in time, some measures are mandatory. This is because the health and life safety of the people were threatened at that time, but when the health of the people is not threatened, there is no need to take compulsory measures. Sexual measures, for example, after the outbreak of the epidemic in Shanghai, only a small part of the national nucleic acid test was performed, which had little effect on other ordinary people.
Beijing News: Someone has been immunized by infection (new coronavirus), but is infected again. Will this situation also occur after vaccination? How long are the vaccine antibodies effective?
Wu Zunyou: It may also happen, because the immune protection produced by vaccines is not necessarily permanent.
There is no way to estimate the specific protection time of the vaccine. You can only refer to the time that other coronavirus antibodies remain effective for 6 to 12 months, but some people may be infected again in three months. Because everyone's individual differences are different, it is related to age, to the severity of symptoms at the time of infection, and to the amount of virus infected. For example, if both of us are infected, because you are relatively young and have no symptoms, you produce fewer antibodies. I have severe infection symptoms and a large immune response. I will produce more antibodies and the antibodies last longer. Some, behind this is the problem of immunity.
Beijing News: If vaccines are not widely used, our country and other countries have different policies to prevent and control the epidemic. Will the expansion of international air navigation make Chinese people more susceptible?
Wu Zunyou: The epidemic prevention policies (countries) are basically the same, but our country has done better. Because there are so many strategies for epidemic control, the public health measures adopted by all countries are the same, but in the process of implementation, they have not been as comprehensive and thorough as China, and some European countries have also been forced to abandon the early so-called "herd immunity" strategy. .
If they follow the (domestic) standards, they can also be controlled. But they can’t achieve the same pace as ours. They also lock down the city, implement work from home, and have curfews, but their measures are not implemented enough and they always give exceptions. As long as there are exceptions, they give the virus. To take advantage of the opportunity, they can't do as everyone in China can strictly follow this requirement.
Clearing up the rumors of the epidemic: There is no evidence that the infectivity and pathogenicity of the new crown virus is declining or increasing.
Beijing News: When the epidemic just started, everyone said that we built a direct network reporting system after SARS, because the direct reporting system should be able to The early detection of the new crown epidemic does not mean that the direct reporting system is still imperfect? Or because of this epidemic, we found those that need to be checked for omissions?
Wu Zunyou: After fighting the new crown for more than a year, we have a certain understanding of the new crown virus. To answer your question, we need to clarify a few points. First of all, the network direct reporting system itself is not problematic. The establishment of a direct network reporting system is one of the most important infrastructure for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in my country since the occurrence of SARS, which enables disease control agencies at all levels to grasp the reporting events of various infectious diseases in their jurisdictions in the first time, so as to do A quick response. This surveillance system covering all levels of the country has continued to play an important role in the prevention and control of various acute and chronic infectious diseases such as plague, H5N1 avian influenza, H7N9 avian influenza, hepatitis, and AIDS.
Secondly, whether the new crown epidemic can be detected earlier depends on the early recognition of pneumonia of unknown cause (later confirmed as new crown pneumonia) and has no direct relationship with the direct reporting system. In winter, pneumonia is actually a very common disease, and not every patient with pneumonia can be diagnosed clearly in etiology, especially when a new pathogen-caused pneumonia case appears. There is a process and it takes time, including what is its pathogen, how infectious is it, how pathogenic it is, and how harmful is the society?
In fact, looking back at the discovery process of the new crown epidemic, it is not difficult to find out, precisely because our country has a corresponding surveillance system. The doctor who first reported a suspicious epidemic situation received a case of family cluster pneumonia and immediately reported it to the local health administrative department. After review by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, the first issue of strengthening the control of pneumonia of unknown cause was issued on December 30, 2019. It is notified that after the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu received the information that night, he immediately reported to the National Health Commission and worked until 3 am to arrange for the disease control experts to fly to Wuhan at 6 am the next day (December 31) On site, assist in the investigation and handling of the epidemic. This reaction speed is already very rapid. (edit: There is some evidence that the CDC was alerted in early December by lab results from an earlier patient in a different province. link The doctor's who posted their report to the CDC were punished. link s.s.)
In less than a week, the CDC experts isolated the virus and deciphered its genetic sequence, setting a record for the shortest time for humans to recognize a new infectious disease. Subsequently, the prevention and control plan for the disease was quickly released, instructing doctors across the country on how to identify and report cases, and instruct the national disease control system on how to confirm the epidemic, control the epidemic, and distribute diagnostic reagents. We believe that this series of responses is scientifically ordered and very rapid, and time can no longer be compressed.
When the new coronary pneumonia just occurred, it was not included in the list of diseases managed by legally reported infectious diseases in my country. It was not until January 20 that the new crown pneumonia was listed as a legally reported infectious disease before it could be managed in accordance with the law, and there was a legal basis for prevention and control measures such as lockdown.
In general, we need to have a process of understanding a new infectious disease, and the process of understanding the new crown has already taken (time) very short, and it is even too short.
The Beijing News: Some people think that if the city is closed earlier, the control effect will be better. What do you think?
Wu Zunyou: From the end of December last year (cases) to the subsequent closure of the city, our country has done very well. This disease is too difficult to control. The health systems in Europe and the United States are so powerful that they cannot be controlled. China has already controlled it. Very good. Closing the city is not a simple one-sentence thing. On the eve of the Spring Festival, to bring a large city with a population of tens of millions to an abrupt end, it requires superhuman courage and determination, incomparable courage, and comprehensive consideration of the corresponding supporting measures after the closure. In addition, when the city was closed on January 23 this year, there were not many cases that had been clearly diagnosed. Closing the city was the most wise and decisive decision made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. When I participated in the World Health Organization joint assessment in February, I made a calculation. The foreign leader of the WHO expert group also agreed that the decision to close the city in Wuhan has prevented about 1.5 million infections and 60,000 deaths in my country.
Even if I look back now, I think that the decision to close the city was actually very timely when the understanding of the disease was limited.
Previously, people thought that the (new crown virus) was transmitted from Wuhan, but several new scientific research results recently published in academic journals have proved that it may not be what people think, and it has long been in California and Italy. The (virus) spread in other countries is not all Wuhan (exported). (edit: Please see this thread. link s.s.)
Beijing News: Some patients now believe that after the new type of pneumonia is cured, there will be some sequelae, a decline in immunity, and even some people have trouble going upstairs. What do you think of this problem?
Wu Zunyou: There is no research result yet (the above conclusion is reached). There is an expert who worked with us. He was infected and has recovered now. He doesn't feel that way.
From January to the present, there is no evidence that the infectiousness and pathogenicity of the new coronavirus is declining or increasing. Whether a person develops symptoms after infection depends on the following factors: the number of viruses entering the person's body, the more the number, the greater the chance of symptoms; the less the number of contacts, the greater the chance of becoming an asymptomatic infection; the infected person The younger the age, the greater the proportion of asymptomatic patients; the severely ill or even death is related to age and depends on medical resources. If medical resources can’t handle well, then critical and dead cases may be Will increase.
Looking back on the past year: The Chinese people proved their strength to the world
Beijing News: Talk about your feelings about fighting the epidemic this year?
Wu Zunyou: In 2020, the Chinese people have proved their strength to the world. This strength is demonstrated through the fight against the epidemic. This strength reflects the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. (edit: He has to say this because he can be severely punished for disrupting the social order. s.s.)
From an individual point of view, there are two points, one is to get tempered, and the second is to do something for the society and the people. The knowledge learned and accumulated experience in the past have been applied in this response to the epidemic.
Beijing News: Through this epidemic, can scientific research in our country learn some new experiences and inspirations?
Wu Zunyou: We have done a great job in scientific research. The most successful aspect of China's response to the new crown this time is scientific research. It took us less than 7 days to isolate the virus, which is the shortest in human history; (edit: Probably because they already had a close gene match in one or both of the labs in Wuhan s.s.) it took nearly 6 months during the SARS period in 2003; and it took nearly 3 years for HIV to be reported from 1981 to 1983 Only then did I know that it was a disease caused by HIV. It took us only a few days to isolate the new coronavirus, and it was all done by the Chinese themselves.
We have four major scientific contributions. Isolating viruses, deciphering gene sequences, determining the incubation period, and determining the route of transmission are the most important and basic elements for understanding an infectious disease. These four discoveries should be said to be the most important discoveries in the scientific field in 2020, and they are also the greatest contribution made by Chinese scientists to mankind to control the new crown epidemic. However, the media basically did not report on these aspects and did not promote them well.
Vaccines are the application of some mature technologies. The most important thing is to isolate the virus, and then crack the virus structure, so that countries around the world can produce diagnostic reagents or research preventive vaccines according to the virus structure (gene sequence), and China has not applied for a patent, and diagnostic reagents in all countries are produced in accordance with Chinese genetic sequences. The gene sequence is equivalent to the chip of a mobile phone, which is the core technology that is stuck. With the gene sequence, reagents and vaccines can be developed. Without the gene sequence, neither reagents nor vaccines can be produced.
https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/160939851615360.html
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