China's "dynamic-zero" policy against COVID-19 is key to curbing the country's COVID-19 outbreak, in line with pursuing economic progress, a senior health official said on Friday.

Li Bin, vice minister of the National Health Commission, said at a news briefing that China has stuck to the "dynamic zero" policy with targeted measures over the past two years. Successful experiences have proved that the policy is the best choice for China to maintain social and economic development, he added.

At present, the country is racing against time to rein in the spike in locally transmitted infections that began in March, said Li, adding that the number of COVID-19 infection cases have both declined in China's Jilin Province and Shanghai Municipality recently. 

'Dynamic zero' does not mean zero infections

Li stressed that "dynamic zero" does not mean zero infections. With the threats of Omicron and other COVID-19 variants, China cannot guarantee that no individuals will be infected with the novel coronavirus in the short term, but it is able to quickly identify and contain an outbreak once it is detected to prevent the virus from causing greater harm to the wider population, he said.

The essence of the dynamic zero-COVID approach is early detection and quick response measures to stop the continuous spread of the virus in communities to protect people's health and lives to the greatest extent. The approach involves going all out to prevent the spread of outbreaks, sustained community-level transmission and large-scale resurgences, rather than eliminating the novel coronavirus altogether, Li added. 

Furthermore, the health official told CGTN that with the "dynamic zero" policy, China encourages local governments facing different COVID situations to explore and share details of their targeted anti-COVID measures, so as to achieve the maximum effects with the minimum cost.