疫情进入较严重复杂时期，防控处于关键期丨China confident in ability to end outbreak

China is confident in its ability to end the novel coronavirus outbreak at a lower cost and a faster speed, health minister Ma Xiaowei said on Sunday, after being asked whether it would be more serious than the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003.

Ma, director of the National Health Commission, said the novel coronavirus is now spreading at a relatively fast rate, pressuring the country's disease prevention and control work. "The outbreak has entered a severe and complicated stage," he said at the news conference at the State Council Information Office.

A series of measures implemented in Wuhan — the epicenter of the outbreak where the virus first emerged — has played a significant role in curbing the disease spread, Ma said.

"Nationwide, the outbreak is at an early stage and instances of novel coronavirus have so far occurred sporadically. With a range of strong steps being taken to control the virus across the country, we are confident in our capacity to end the outbreak at a lower cost and a faster speed," he said.

He added more clinical research is needed to determine the virulence and toxicity of the virus.

Local governments should strictly manage all people who have come from Wuhan in the past 15 days to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the National Health Commission said.

Ma said grassroots authorities should knock on doors and make home visits to trace all people coming from Wuhan to see if they have symptoms of the virus.

Authorities in Wuhan and Hubei province should implement the strictest epidemic prevention and control measures, including quarantining people who have had contact with patients, suspected patients and people with symptoms and limiting all forms of gathering, he said.

Li Bin, vice minister of the commission, said communities and villages are the frontline to control the spread of the virus.

Grassroots officials should conduct daily screenings of people coming from other places, especially people from Wuhan, who should stay at home for observation for 14 days.

Officials should submit daily reports on their health conditions and people with symptoms should be sent to medical institutions for quarantine, he said.

记者：王小予  邹硕

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