On June 4, the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 is hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom, which aims to raise funds for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
Integrated Treatment Combining Chinese and Western Medicine
“The COVID-19 cases we diagnosed fell into the TCM categories which we call the cold-damp plague. After taking the prescribed medication, the fever symptoms of most patients significantly improved within three days, and the average time for the fever to come down is only 1.7 days,” said Tong Xiaolin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He attended the video conference on April 6 and shared his diagnosis and treatment experience. In his view, the integration of Chinese and Western medicine has become the highlight of the Chinese protocol of diagnosis and treatment, a Chinese contribution to the global effort in combatting COVID-19.
As an expert of the Central Steering Group, head of the medical treatment expert group of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and chief researcher of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS), Tong arrived in Wuhan on the Chinese New Year’s Eve when COVID-19 broke out there. Facing a shortage of medical resources with an increasing number of patients during the initial period, he proposed to distribute TCM on a large scale at the community level. This was verified to be the crux of controlling the number of patients. “Prevention and control measures at the community level build the first line of defense to curb the spread of the epidemic,” Tong said. He further pointed out that it is particularly vital to use TCM at the community level not just during the early stage of infection, but also throughout the whole control process, especially when there is no optional Western medicine that can produce obvious therapeutic effect and no vaccines have been developed.
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Tong Xiaolin attends the International Symposium on COVID-19 Treatment (Webcast) held on April 6 with experts from China, U.S., and Europe sharing their clinical experiences.
“China has already translated the latest version of the national diagnosis and treatment protocols, including the TCM plan, into English and released it to all countries in the world. Personally, I have been invited to participate in multiple international academic exchange conferences on COVID-19 treatment to share my experience of using TCM in clinical treatment with experts from Europe, U.S., and other nations,” Tong said.
According to Tong, the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) and the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) are organizing TCM physicians to promote TCM in the international prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
In recent years, European countries have established a number of TCM research and service institutions. For example, German-Chinese Center for Integrative Chinese Medicine jointly established by CACMS and MHH, and the Sino-Austrian Collaborating Center for Chinese Medical Sciences established by CACMS and the University of Graz in Austria, are all committed to promoting joint research by experts and scholars in the fields of pharmacology and acupuncture at various European universities.
At another video conference held on May 8, Chinese and Austrian experts exchanged ideas on an array of topics including TCM treatment of COVID-19, study on the construction of virus-like particles, and pharmacological and mechanistic studies of three Chinese patent medicines and three Chinese herbal formulas in the treatment of COVID-19.
Professor Rudolf Bauer, director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Graz and founding president of the Sino-Austrian Collaborating Center for Chinese Medical Sciences, attended the meeting and fully affirmed the contribution that TCM has made to the fight against COVID-19. “TCM has a very long history and obvious efficacy in terms of preventing and controlling the epidemic and other infectious diseases. This conclusion can be drawn from the success of artemisinin in combating malaria and the use of TCM in the prevention and treatment of SARS,” said the professor, who hoped that both China and Austria could cooperate in conducting research on the active ingredients of TCM against COVID-19, looking for direct antiviral active substances and immunomodulatory active substances which could help prevent novel coronavirus infection by mobilizing the patient’s immunity and resistance as well as suppressing the destructive cytokine storm.
Guarantee the Global Supply of Epidemic Prevention Materials
At the ceremony of delivering medical supplies direly needed by Italy to fight COVID-19 held in Beijing on March 20, Emanuele de Maigret, minister counsellor of the Italian Embassy in China, tightly clasped the hands of Gao Yuwen, president of China Meheco Co., Ltd. (MEHECO), expressing his gratitude for receiving one million medical masks of the European standard in time.
Five days before, the Italian Civil Protection Agency had signed an agreement with MEHECO for a supply of eight million European standard medical masks. The agreement stipulated that the delivery of the first batch of products be on March 24. However, due to the rapid spread of the epidemic in Italy, the Italian side made an urgent phone call to MEHECO, requesting an earlier delivery on March 20.
During the most difficult period of China’s fight to control the epidemic, MEHECO had imported protective materials including masks, protective gear, and medical goggles from Italy. Now, the Chinese side could understand the urgent needs of their Italian partner, and they managed to bring together urgent supplies from affiliated companies to ensure that the first batch of life-saving materials were delivered as soon as possible.
Emanuele de Maigret said, “It is the embodiment of the deep friendship between our two countries. Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Chinese President Xi Jinping have just exchanged views, reaffirming that the two governments with resolute determinations would join hands in fighting the pandemic. The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy. Since there has been a long history of people-to-people exchanges, I am sure that the close ties between the two countries will help to unite the two peoples, enabling them to win the anti-pandemic battle.”
In order to transport the collected medical materials to target countries in time, a “green channel” has been established for international transportation of anti-epidemic materials, which includes the expansion of international air capacity, and the increase of the China-Europe Railway Express and China-U.S. express shipping services, to minimize the impact of the pandemic on cross-border logistics.
On June 5, the “Yiwu-Madrid” China-Europe Railway Express X8020, loaded with 86 TEUs of supplies for epidemic prevention and general commodities, set out from Yiwu West Railway Station on its way to the capital of Spain – Madrid, some 13,052 kilometers away. It was also the first train traveling from China to Spain for the international cooperation of epidemic prevention.
“Transportation on the sea is expected to take 40 days. However, due to the current suspension of transportation by air freight and ocean shipment, the China-Europe Railway Express is a relatively economical and faster choice, which takes only 20 days, halving the time of the travel,” said Liu Xilin, general manager of the Shanghai branch company of China Railway Container Transport (CRCT). This train was loaded with about 25.05 million surgical masks, 400,000 sets of protective clothing, and other materials, weighing 257 tons.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech at the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 held online on June 4.
In the face of an escalating global pandemic, China has made great endeavors to provide support and assistance to many countries and regions and shared its experience and plans without any reservation. On June 7, the Information Office of the State Council released the White Paper “Fighting COVID-19: China in Action” in Beijing. As of May 31, China has provided more than 150 countries and four international organizations with material assistance, sent anti-pandemic medical expert groups to 27 countries, and held more than 180 video conferences with more than 170 countries and international organizations. More than that, China’s local governments, enterprises, private institutions, as well as individuals all proactively took part in international donations. Meanwhile, China has facilitated the commercial procurement of other nations in China and exported anti-epidemic materials to more than 200 countries and regions. Between March 1 and May 31, China exported 70.6 billion masks and 340 million sets of protective clothing. All these facts demonstrate that China has not only shouldered its global responsibility as a responsible major country, but also greatly promoted the friendship and pragmatic cooperation with many other countries.
Strengthen Cooperation in Vaccine Development
At present, the world is looking forward to finding the novel coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. Since the international cooperation can accelerate every step of vaccine development, including basic research, clinical trials, and vaccine manufacturing and distribution, extensive international cooperation has been pushing forward governments, international organizations, NGOs, and enterprises to promote the rapid availability of a vaccine, and guaranteeing the accessibility of the vaccine to all.
Medical protective materials are loaded onto the charted B787-900 international flight of the Xiamen Airlines leaving from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, to Amsterdam,the Netherlands, on April 12.
On June 4, the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 was hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom. During the video summit, he pointed out that the aims of the summit are to raise funds for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) so as to ensure the accessibility of vaccines, especially to accelerate the development, production, and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The summit eventually raised a total of US $8.8 billion from 32 donor governments and 12 foundations, corporations, and organizations, which will be used to immunize 300 million children and support the global fight against COVID-19.
At the meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech and stated that the vaccine is a powerful shield against the virus especially when the fight against the pandemic is not over and the challenges remain severe. China will continue to support the World Health Organization to play a central role in coordinating vaccine research and development, promote the multi-center clinical trials, and provide the world with safe, effective, and high-quality global public products, making contributions to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries. The GAVI has maintained sound relations with China and has invested in supporting Chinese vaccinations and its international applications. Facing the challenge of COVID-19, the Chinese government is willing to provide support for the alliance’s funding cycle, encourage Chinese R&D institutions and vaccine manufacturers to strengthen cooperation with the alliance, and support GAVI to play an important role in promoting the use of vaccines. The Chinese government will take action to fulfill its commitment to the global community and join hands in building “a global community of health.” Attendees acclaimed the exemplary role China had played in the multilateral cooperation field.
CEO of GAVI Dr. Seth Berkley is an epidemiologist who has long been committed to the global research and the promotion of vaccines. He said, “One thing that has been made all too clear over the past few months is that this disease does not respect borders, which is why this global problem requires a global solution.”
