The ongoing epidemic of novel Coronavirus 2019, formally relabeled “COVID-19” by the
World Health Organization (WHO), caused almost 2,345 fatalities by Feb 21, 2020, with
over 65,000 cases confirmed worldwide. According to the Political Bureau of the Communist
Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Feb 21, 2020, the spread of the COVID-19
epidemic has preliminarily been contained
1.
The COVID-19 epidemic has had an immediate impact on the Chinese and the world economy,
since the national economies are significantly more interlinked now than when Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hit 17 years ago, and China plays a more significant
role in the current world economy. While the epidemic put a damper on industries like
transport and tourism, rapid growth has been registered in burgeoning sectors such
as online shopping, food, and entertainment
2. Concurrently, the COVID-19 epidemic will have a long-term impact on China's capacity-building
and biosecurity system for public health emergencies, and may even become a new watershed.
The outbreak poses a serious challenge to China's national health emergency response
capabilities, and is also a comprehensive test of the country's biological security
system. Alleviation of epidemics after top political order on public health has demonstrated
that national emergency response capacity is qualified, but there is provisional conclusion
that at local and departmental view, emergency response capacity in number of provinces
and cities is below the average
3, and departments of government are unprepared, one of the main causes of the outbreak.
Furthermore, rumors and conspiracy theories, centered upon the origin, scale, and
magnitude of the epidemic
4, the misuse of outbreak for irrational purposes by extra-territorial countries,
and COVID-19 as a bioweapon, have been circulating in affected countries across Asia
since this virus was first discovered
5.
In response to the outbreak, it seems that national biosecurity system indeed has
certain acknowledged performance on emergency research and development of diagnostic
reagents, vaccines, therapeutics
6. However, if the epidemic progresses and needs urgent scientific and technological
support, the case would be much more pessimistic. Moreover, the subject of biosecurity
is extremely widespread and includes incidents such as bioterrorism, threat of biological
weapons, cyber biosecurity
7, etc. Therefore, the reliability of the national biosecurity system is a thorny
issue. Based on an analysis of 39 published Joint External Evaluation reports, the
Nuclear Threat Initiative found that 74% of the assessed countries demonstrated limited
or no capacity for a whole-of-government national biosafety and biosecurity system
8. Without extreme system stress challenge, it is difficult to assure that national
biosecurity is already adequate and reliable.
The COVID-19 outbreak, no less severe than the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the H1N1
outbreak in 2009, is also a new test of the international community's ability to respond
to major outbreaks of infectious diseases. The WHO, in response to the outbreak, activated
the R&D Blueprint, which accelerated diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics for this
novel coronavirus
9. Scientists and medical researchers in the US have been instructed to investigate
the scientific origins of the novel coronavirus, as misinformation about the outbreak
spread online
10. As a global alliance financing and coordinating the development of vaccines against
emerging infectious diseases, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
(CEPI) launched a new call for proposals to develop vaccines against coronavirus
11. To assist in ending this epidemic, The Lancet has created a Coronavirus Resource
Centre. The Journal of the American Medical Association is providing updates on diagnosis
and treatment of coronavirus.
Overall, the international community is remaining calm about China's outbreak, actively
taking measures, and providing substantial support for prevention and control of the
epidemic in China, by extending scientific research collaborations, such as between
Europe and China. A number of world leaders have expressed their sympathies and extended
support for China's battle against the COVID-19 epidemic
12. WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, paid tribute to the Chinese
people, praising them for showing courage and patience in this extremely difficult
time. Therefore, the international community's reaction reflect the rationality of
China's claim on the community of human destiny for public health, and further highlight
the need to strengthen the community of human destiny for public health and biosecurity.
Looking forward, the international biosecurity situation is prone to complications
such as changes in climate and ecological environment due to globalization, urbanization,
accelerated diffusion of technology, and advances in biotechnology and information
technology. The abuse and misuse of biotechnology, such as for bioterror or strategic
competition between large nations, cannot be excluded. Particularly, the risk of dysfunction
in the international order brought by scientific and technological progress, which
if mishandled, may lead to more serious consequences. Compared with the biosecurity
situation in earlier times, the biosecurity situation in the new era is systematic,
relevant, disruptive, and more susceptible to collapse.
As an advocate of the concept of the “Community of Human Destiny”, China would play
active roles in innovating its own biosecurity system. Enhancing a national biosafety
and biosecurity system that protects scientists, healthcare workers, and public from
exposure to harmful pathogens is a critical part of the nation’s efforts to bolster
national security. According to 12th meeting of the CPC Central Committee for deepening
overall reform held on Feb17, 2020, China will include biosecurity into its national
security system
13. Efficient prevention and control of biosecurity incidents requires sharing of
scientific knowledge and coordination between departments of disease prevention and
control, medical institutions, and scientific research institutions
14. Further, to cope with the unpredictability of biosecurity events, the daily operation
mechanism of emergency system, such as bio-surveillance and biomonitoring, will be
further strengthened and the emergency mechanism is assured to be precisely switched
once outbreak identified. Raising awareness about biological risks among government
officials at all levels and the public is of paramount importance. The list of tasks
includes a comprehensive and holistic risk assessment of catastrophic infectious diseases,
reorganization of response structure and response workforce, enactment of laws and
regulations, and more effective distribution of medical countermeasures
15. Financial support for emergency response capacity and biosecurity discipline is
also necessary. The sole objective is to transform the response to outbreaks of major
infectious diseases from passive observation to active prediction and intervention.
Regional and global co-operation is also required to safeguard global biosecurity.
However, without an independent assessment of national health security capability,
it is difficult to fully understand needs, identify gaps, and track improvements over
time. Since the launch of the Global Health Security Agenda, the international community
has placed greater emphasis on measuring health security capacity and identifying
gaps in preparedness, with the development of a Global Health Security Index as a
good example
16. Based on the stakeholders' urgent needs and the international community's common
concerns on public health and biosecurity, national and international resources will
be fully mobilized to health crisis management. The next outbreak and biosecurity
crisis may occur anywhere and anytime, thus, to avoid greater losses and more serious
consequences, key problems must be resolved before the next epidemic.
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