China is continually monitoring mutations of the coronavirus, said Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under the National Health Commission (NHC), on Thursday.

China has also played an active role in monitoring the virus globally.

Once any new mutation is found or any changes to its virulence and transmissibility are flagged, China will report the situation to the World Health Organization, said Liang, adding that should changes occur, the country will optimize and adjust its treatment and prevention plan.

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the center had uploaded the gene sequence of the novel coronavirus to the WHO since the start of the epidemic, so that other countries could develop diagnostic reagents and vaccines based on the data.

There is no secret, and China has shared all its work with the world, said Wu.

On whether China has loosened its epidemic control too quickly, Liang said the adjustment is based on the understanding of pathogens, the immune level of the population, the resistance capacity of the health system, and public health intervention measures.

China's measures in epidemic control and prevention, including the nine versions of the national COVID-19 prevention and control plan, the 20 optimized measures, the new 10 measures and the downgrade management of COVID-19 from Class A to Class B, all reflect the balance of these three factors, according to Liang.

Liang said the adjustment is a "more scientific and accurate allocation of resources to the most important tasks of prevention, control and treatment," adding that it is in line with China's situation.