Severe case treatment vital in combatting COVID-19: Chinese health official

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese health official Tuesday said that building medical service capacity, especially the medical capacity to treat patients with severe symptoms, remains crucial in China's fight against COVID-19.

Although the country has a relatively low COVID-19-related mortality rate and a low rate of severe cases, it is still vital to maintain a high level of preparedness to treat patients with severe symptoms, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference.

Guo noted that China's large elderly population and many people with underlying medical conditions are most vulnerable to the virus. She added it is necessary to improve severe-illness treatment capacity to better protect them.

In addition, building severe-illness treatment capacity is important in combating COVID-19 and critical in the long-term and high-quality development of China's medical services, Guo said.

She said China aims to increase the accessibility of high-quality medical resources and promote its balanced distribution across the country.