Medical experts from China and New Zealand have held a webinar for the first time to exchange experience and best practice on combating COVID-19.
During the session held on Friday, Nigel Millar, chief medical officer of New Zealand’s Southern District Health Board (DHB), said the timely sharing of China’s clinical protocols on COVID-19 by the Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch has helped local medical institutions contain the spread of the virus more effectively.
Chris Fleming, CEO of the DHB, stressed the psychological affinity between both countries facing the common challenge from the pandemic despite their remote geographical distance.
Dave Cull, Chair of the DHB board and former mayor of Dunedin, pointed out that joint endeavour on containing the pandemic once again illustrated the benefits brought by sister-city relationship between Shanghai and Dunedin.
Chinese Consul General in Christchurch Wang Zhijian emphasized the significance of solidarity and collaboration of the international society to combat the common enemy of COVID-19.
He noted the progress of cooperation made in medical science between Shanghai and Dunedin through sister-city platforms in recent years, and expressed hope that both countries could work together to build a community of common health for mankind in this globalized era.
Deputy Director Bei Zhaojian of Shanghai Foreign Office highlighted the important progress made in combating COVID-19 in China and the zero increase of indigenous infection cases in Shanghai over the past consecutive days.
He emphasized that the “Shanghai experience” accumulated in containment and treatment of COVID-19 so far could serve as important source of reference for others, and the city would be ready to maintain communications with Southern region of New Zealand to enhance collaboration in this regards in the future.
During the two-hour session, Sun Xiaodong, deputy director of Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Xu Jinfu from Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital affiliated to Tongji University answered a broad range of questions raised by frontline medical professionals from Southern DHB, including tracing suspected cases, testing asymptomatic carriers, improving diagnostic accuracy, enhancing personal protective equipment (PPE) and evaluating cytokine storm.
The event was jointly sponsored by Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch, Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, Shanghai municipal health commission, and Southern DHB of New Zealand.
