President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for efforts to strengthen public health system in China to better protect people's lives and health, as the country, with steady economic and social life recovery, is shifting to COVID-19 regular prevention and control.

In a meeting with officials, scholars and scientists in Beijing, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the country must remain vigilant in addressing and preventing epidemics and other public health crises after the coronavirus outbreak.

China must build a strong public health system, improve epidemic monitoring and warning systems and improve epidemic prevention and treatment capabilities in order to better protect people's lives, he said.

The Chinese mainland has 83,022 COVID-19 cases so far, of which 1,761 are imported. A total of 371 asymptomatic patients are under medical observation. China's death toll stands at 4,645.

Wuhan, once the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, reported no new asymptomatic cases for the first time in two months on Sunday.

China has made "a major strategic achievement" in the battle against the coronavirus, which shows the strength of the CPC's leadership and advantage of China's political system, Xi said.

"Life is of paramount importance," he stressed.

After listening to the advices and suggestions from some scholars and leading respiratory experts, Xi praised their work and efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

Experts and scholars, with high responsibilities and expertise, made contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 in different areas such as evaluating the prevention and control situation, improving prevention measures, guiding medical treatment, accelerating scientific research progress, revising laws and regulations as well as promoting international cooperation in fighting the pandemic, Xi said. 

"On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, I express deep appreciation to you."

Xi also outlined some specific measures in strengthening health system.

He said strengthening the disease prevention and control system is a matter of national security and social and economic stability, and therefore the system must be more effective.

A systematic effort was needed to improve it, Xi said.

He said the top priorities are to improve the early-stage epidemic monitoring and warning systems, the monitoring system for unknown disease and abnormal health-related incidents, and the accuracy of such assessment.

The country should establish an "intelligent multi-point" trigger mechanism to improve the monitoring and early warning systems, he added. 

He also emphasized the science and technology capacities. 

Xi said science and technology are the weapons of human beings to fight against diseases, and the country must invest more resources, and encourage and motivate more talented people, in scientific research.

(Cover: Peng Zhiyong, head of the department of critical care medicine of Zhongnan Hospital, performs diagnosis on a patient with his colleagues in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, Hubei, January 24, 2020. /Xinhua)