China's National Health Commission (NHC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly hold a video conference to brief China's experience on COVID-19 response to international experts from various countries and representatives of some embassies in China and international organizations on Thursday. Photo: screenshot of the NHC

Frontline Chinese doctors and medical experts have been increasingly engaging in video or teleconferences with foreign counterparts to offer China's solution and address their concerns in tackling the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past weeks, with observers saying it shows solidarity and cooperation have become the consensus of the international community in combating the virus and China has become an "arsenal" and "fortress" of the world in winning the battle. 

Zhong Nanshan, head of China's National Health Commission (NHC) high-level expert group, discussed the clinical characteristics and treatment difficulties of critically ill patients, shared the experience of rapid diagnosis and prevention and control of community-clustered cases in a video conference with US experts in intensive care and from Harvard Medical School on Thursday night, two weeks after sharing China's progress and experience in fighting COVID-19 in a video link with the head of the European Respiratory Society.

Frontline Chinese medical worker Peng Zhiyong, director of the intensive care unit of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, participated in three video conferences on Friday with medical experts and hospital management teams from Singapore, Seattle and Miami. 

"What's going on in those countries is similar to what happened in Wuhan in the early stages, with mounting panic and lack of preparation," Peng told the Global Times. 

In the conferences, Peng suggested hospitals mobilize all intensive care unit medics and resources and store enough beds and shared experience in treatment plans for people with mild and serious symptoms. 

He said foreign counterparts appreciated Chinese doctors' experience as timely and useful, and some have invited Peng to more video conferences in the following weeks. 

Since February, Peng has shared his experience with foreign counterparts in Italy, Iran, the US and the Philippines.

China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) were scheduled to hold a video conference on COVID-19 on Friday, during which Chinese officials, experts in disease control, clinical treatment, civil aviation, customs and community-based quarantine were expected to share information and exchange experiences with their counterparts from 17 CEECs, including Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

On Thursday, NHC and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly held a video conference to brief China's experience on COVID-19 response to international experts from various countries and representatives of some embassies in China and international organizations. Health commissions from several provinces, including Hubei, Guangdong and Sichuan, shared their local experience and cases. 

The increased communication and cooperation in the medical field show that science and medical collaboration among countries and regions cannot be limited by their boundaries, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University's Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times on Friday. 

COVID-19 is the enemy of all human beings, and the Chinese government has set a good example in shouldering responsibility to control the virus, making strategic decisions and helping other countries with not only medical supplies and dispatching medical teams but also sharing China's frontline medical experiences with the world in an open and transparent way, Shen Yi, an expert from Fudan University, told the Global Times, adding that China has been playing the role of an " arsenal and fortress" in the battle.

China is providing all necessary help to the world while combating the virus at home. Due to the limited resources of medical experts, video or teleconferences involving frontline doctors enable doctors to have a straightforward exchange and allow foreign doctors to come up with their treatment plans incorporating China's experience, Li said. 

Li said that the exchanges are also conducive to helping clear up common questions about the virus, such as clarifying the origins of the virus, especially after the US demonized China and Wuhan for the COVID-19 outbreak. 


Newspaper headline: Frontline medics share ICU experience