WHO: COVID-19 in China moves into 'mitigation stage'

Cured patients wave goodbye to medical workers before leaving the Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 4, 2020. /Xinhua

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that China has moved into "mitigation stage" following two months of epidemic work to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China's experience is helping countries currently at the start of the COVID-19 cycle to plan their responses better, the WHO said in its latest report.

China to mitigate risk over long term

"It is far too early to declare this outbreak under control," Gauden Galea, the WHO representative to China, said in an interview with WHO/Europe on April 3.

China has passed one of the peaks, and is doing the best to help prevent a resurgence, he added.

Dr Gauden Galea, WHO Representative to China. /WHO

As China gradually lifts its temporary containment measures, including school closures, transport bans and workplace shutdowns, Galea said the next phase of the country's public health response will focus on "mitigating the risk of COVID-19 across the general population over the long term."

He said the role that everyone plays is very important to fighting the disease over the next phase.

China's tailored measures 'very effective'

One important lesson for everyone to learn from China's experience is that responses to the pandemic must be tailored carefully to the local context, said Galea.

One size doesn't fit all. Action that has worked in some countries may not be transferable to others, the representative said.

China has been "implementing a differentiated, location-specific response to limiting transmission, so that public health measures are tailored to the differing realities on the ground," Galea said, calling the strategy "very effective."

He also called on countries worldwide to share experiences and updates, and learn from each other to "develop the widest possible range of measures to fight this virus in different contexts."

Health challenges in China down the line

There will be a range of longer term health priorities for China once it enters the recovery phase, said Galea.

Boosting mental health, reliable management of chronic diseases as well as a better understanding of risk factors that may be linked to COVID-19 such as tobacco use and hypertension are expected to be among the top priorities.