China's non-drug measures against COVID-19 highly effective: expert

Liang Wannian (L), head of the Chinese expert panel on outbreak response and disposal, in an exclusive interview with CCTV on Sunday. /CCTV

China's non-pharmaceutical interventions, or social measures, including isolation, infection source management, personal protection and prevention, and social distancing, have played a highly effective role in the battle against novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Liang Wannian, head of the Chinese expert panel on outbreak response and disposal, said in an exclusive interview with CCTV on Sunday.

The country has set a very good example in the history of public health worldwide regarding the achievements made by the interventions as well as its decisiveness and flexibility in handling the outbreak, he said.

The new disease, with rapid transmission speed and strong transmission ability, has a relatively high fatality rate in the elderly and people with chronic diseases. The outbreak would cause great harm to the whole society and economy.

There are two methods of prevention and control. One method is effective medicine and vaccine, which shows efficacy in treatment but has limited effect in disease control. The other method is non-pharmaceutical interventions, which has played a powerful role in practice.

The chart shows the incidences of COVID-19 in China as of February 20. /CCTV

In theory, without specific drugs or vaccines, the incidence trend would keep escalating as the population is generally susceptible to the novel coronavirus, but the trend showed a sustained decline after reaching a peak, which means the interventions worked.

"The graph (above) has proved that the disease is controllable, and the decisive actions taken by China have changed the course of the epidemic," highlighted Liang. "It buys time for the world to build a defense against the disease, and also tells other countries not to hesitate but to curb the spread of the disease by doing so."

Earlier at a

press conference on Monday

, Bruce Aylward, a Canadian epidemiologist who headed a WHO team in China on the coronavirus fight, affirmed the efficacy of China's non-pharmaceutical measures and praised the country's vital role in protecting the international community.

Aylward acknowledged that he used to have biases regarding non-pharmaceutical interventions. However, without specific medicine or vaccine, "China said, OK, we don't have those. Let's get out the old ones. Let's adapt them. Let's innovate and let's stop this virus and save lives. And that's what they've done."