Premier calls for intensified research on vaccines

Premier Li Keqiang called on Thursday for expedited steps to research and develop vaccines and effective pharmaceuticals against the novel coronavirus, in an effort to improve medical treatment and reduce the mortality rate of the pneumonia-causing virus.

Li's remarks came as he visited the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing and presided over a symposium with health experts.

The safety and the health of the people must be placed first and foremost, he said.

The China CDC should devote every minute to finding the source of the novel virus and its transmission and pathogenic mechanism and accelerate research on vaccines, he said.

He also urged the national public health institute to respond to public concerns and doubts in a timely manner and improve the public's capacity and awareness for self-protection.

The premier commended the major contribution made by health workers nationwide for staying at the front line in the war against the outbreak, and fighting for the health of the people.

The key to winning the battle against the outbreak is improving the effectiveness of medical treatment and lowering its mortality rate, he said.

Vaccines and effective pharmaceuticals are the nemesis of the novel virus, and a clear understanding of the virus is required in order to overcome it, he said.

He called for more coordination nationwide to unite experts from different areas and disciplines in order to enhance research and clinical cooperation.

It is important to speed up the screening and application of clinical drugs and the development of reagents that can confirm infections as well as vaccines and effective drugs, he said.

He urged the authorities to organize top researchers to conduct in-depth research of the diagnosis of cases and patient treatment in order to summarize treatment experience and enable the improvement of treatment plans and the timely sharing of this information.

Li expressed his hope that health experts can step up research and analysis of the novel virus, keep monitoring its latest developments and offer professional support to more targeted measures for epidemic control and prevention.

He called for scientific standards to be made in terms of individual protection, work protection, medical protection and the segregation of suspected cases. These standards must vary based on different areas, venues and sectors, he added.

The premier stressed the necessity to dispatch and use medical protection resources in a scientific manner and ensure that they could be used where they are needed most.

He also cautioned against hiding or underreporting the number of infections, saying that information on the epidemic must be made public transparently.

Also on Thursday, a steering group sent by the central government to Hubei province to guide work to control the outbreak visited a hospital in Wuhan, the provincial capital, to help coordinate the work in medical treatment and outbreak prevention and control.

The group, led by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, met with medical staff, learned of their working and living conditions as well as their proposals and opinions about epidemic control, treatment of patients and protective measures for doctors and nurses working on the front line.

Sun called for greater efforts to strengthen the protection of medical staff to ensure their safety, and asked the doctors and nurses to protect themselves with proper measures as their safety matters in the battle to save more infected people.

She called for allocating medical resources in a more reasonable way, and treating critically ill patients in a timely manner to reduce the mortality rate in order to boost the confidence of the nation to win the battle against the virus.

The State Council also urged the governments of all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions throughout the country to coordinate the production and allocation of key materials used for the prevention and control of the contagion to ensure their adequate supply, according to a notice released on Thursday by the General Office of the State Council.