A fifth webinar was conducted between the Chinese team led by Zhong Nanshan – head of China's COVID-19 expert team – and U.S. experts on Friday, discussing the situation, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

Global efforts may pay off in April

If strict measures can be implemented worldwide, cases are expected to peak in Europe in the coming week, and then go down. An initial success in containing the global pandemic may be achieved in April, Zhong estimated during an exclusive interview with CCTV after the video conference.

As some countries have put cities under lockdown, Zhong cautioned that lockdowns do not equate to having solved the problem. He called on people to follow protection principles and policies, saying "personal protection is also very important in the places under lockdown."

"As far as I am concerned, if all can adopt active policies, the tally can be decreasing in April."

China's experiences in outbreak control

Containing COVID-19 quickly is of particular concern to U.S. experts. There are two strategies for controlling the outbreak, said Zhong, "One is to suppress it and the other is to slow its progression, and China has opted for the former," which brought the outbreak in Wuhan under "basic control" after four weeks. 

Mass prevention and control measures taken in communities also played a significant role. They are specifically the "Four Early" – early detection, early report, early quarantine and early treatment.

Epicenter could move to the United States

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said on Tuesday that the U.S. has the potential to become the new epicenter of the pandemic as "we are now seeing a very large acceleration in cases in the U.S."

Zhong's estimation echoed that.

It had been three weeks since foreign countries took action against the outbreak, said Zhong, and only a few of them have seen a decreasing number of new cases. The number is still rising in other countries, particularly in the U.S., whose confirmed cases have surpassed that in China. 

"The epicenter could shift to the U.S."

Special attention to close contacts without symptoms

Don't just focus on people with symptoms, while ignoring asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed patients, emphasized Zhong.

"Special attention should be paid to the close contacts (even without symptoms)," Zhong stressed. 

"China has taken such cases very seriously. Once confirmed, the patient's close contacts and travel history are traced, which helps us to control the disease in short time."

China unlikely to have second outbreak

Zhong said there would not be a second wave of outbreak in China with its current measures. 

"Based on China's prevention and control measures, new cases can be confined to a very small population," Zhong said. 

"I don't think there will be a big outbreak under such strong measures, but the premise is to actively prevent and control and remain vigilant."