On February 21, Yu Yanhong, member of the Party Leadership Group of National Health Commission and Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, went to Xianning and Honghu to investigate the prevention and control of COVID-19 with TCM, expressing her heartfelt thanks and greatest respect to all the medical staff and cadres on the frontline of the fighting against the epidemic. She emphasized that we shall resolutely implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions, follow the deployment of the Central Steering Group, stick to the integrated treatment of TCM and western medicine, continuously optimize the diagnosis and treatment program, and go all out to do a good job in treating patients and safeguard the lives and health of the people.

Yu Yanhong conducted in-depth investigation in Xianning Central Hospital, Xianning TCM Hospital, Honghu People's Hospital and Honghu TCM Hospital to learn details about the hospitalization of COVID-19 patients and the treatment of severe cases, and kindly visited representatives of medical teams from Yunnan, Guangdong, Hainan, etc. At Honghu People's Hospital, she used mobile phone video to connect to the doctors working in the ward from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, asking about clinical treatment, and told the medical staff to strictly implement the various regulations of infection control and to protect themselves.

Yu Yanhong fully acknowledged the interim outcome of the prevention and control of the epidemic with TCM in Xianning and Honghu, and put forward clear requirements for the next step. She pointed out that it was necessary to further uplift the political standing, to conscientiously implement the deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and the requirements of Hubei Provincial CPC Committee and  Government, to comprehensively implement the general requirements of firm confidence, mutual help, scientific prevention and precise decision, to strengthen the organization and leadership of the prevention and control, to adhere to the bottom-line thinking, to strengthen the awareness of risk. With the spirit of intensity, hardwork and strength, we should take the rural areas as a priority, and put every measure for epidemic prevention and control in place, to strive to win comprehensive victory of the fight against the epidemic by the Chinese people.

Yu Yanhong emphasized that it is necessary to focus on improving the hospitalization and recovery rates, and reducing infection and mortality rates by taking well-targeted measures in regulations, mechanisms and actions, such as further bringing into play the advantages of integrated TCM and western medicine treatment, promoting early intervention and wide coverage of TCM, giving play to the role of TCM in rehabilitation, and adopting different treating methods by differentiating patients so as to improve the efficacy. Medical workers are the backbone of overcoming the epidemic. We must strengthen the deployment of protective materials and various guarantees for medical staff working at grassroots level, and pay more attention to their spiritual life, daily life and routine work, so that the medical staff fighting on the frontline can feel the warmth and care from CPC Central Committee.