A national fight against COVID-19: lessons and experiences from China

Abstract

Objective: This paper aims to review the public health measures and actions taken during the fight against COVID-19 in China, to generate a model for prevention and control public health emergency by summarising the lessons and experiences gained. Methods: This paper adopts a widely accepted qualitative research and coding method to form an analysis on word materials. Results: Although Chinese CDC didn’t work effectively in the early stages on risk identification and warning, China was able to respond quickly and successfully to this medical emergency after the initial shock of the awareness of a novel epidemic with a swift implementation of national-scale health emergency management. Conclusions: The success in fighting against COVID-19 in China can be attributed to: 1) adaptable governance to changing situations; 2) culture of moral compliance with rules; 3) trusted collaboration between government and people; 4) an advanced technical framework ABCD+5G (A-Artificial intelligence; B-Block chain; C-Cloud computing; D-Big data). Implications for public health: This paper constructs a conceptual model for pandemic management based on the lessons and experiences of fighting COVID-19 in China. It provides insights for pandemic control and public emergency management in similar context.