1. More than 1 billion vaccine doses administered in Chinese mainland
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226648.shtml
China on Sunday became the first country in the world to have administered one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Such achievement is believed to be a "milestone" but not "surprising" given China's thorough vaccination plan and effective implementation system. China has administered more than 1.1 billion doses as of Saturday, according to data released by the National Health Commission on Sunday. The number is about three times that delivered in the US, and almost 40 percent of the 2.5 billion shots given globally, according to data website Our World in Data.
2. Wuhan Institute of Virology listed as candidate for Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize of CAS
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1226597.shtml
The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has been listed as one of the candidates for the 2021 Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize of CAS for its achievement in identifying the COVID-19 pathogeny. China's "bat woman" Shi Zhengli, and Yuan Zhiming, director of the WIV's Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory were selected as the outstanding contributors of the WIV group candidates. CAS published the candidate list on its official website on Friday. The award is mainly given to individuals or research groups who have made or demonstrated significant achievements in the past five years. CAS awards 10 such individuals and research groups annually.
3. China lists key tasks in medicine, healthcare reform for 2021
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202106/17/WS60cb51b5a31024ad0bac9cd1.html
China will strive to balance medical resources and build up the public health system in 2021, according to the cabinet's new annual plan for further reforming the medicine and healthcare system. Efforts must be made to accelerate the synergy of reforms relating to medical services, medical insurance and pharmaceuticals, said the document, which was published on the General Office of the State Council's website on Thursday. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2021-06/17/content_5618799.htm
The country will carry forward the bulk-buying mechanism to further slash medicine prices in 2021. Its tiered system of medical diagnosis and treatment will be refined and the development of healthcare consortiums will be accelerated, according to the document. Disease prevention will be emphasized in the building up of China's public health system. The document called for efforts to boost the capabilities for early warning, risk evaluation and on-the-spot epidemiological investigation. The State Council also made clear which authorities are responsible for each task within the reforms.
4. China to promote use of TCM in prevention, treatment of infectious disease outbreaks
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202106/16/WS60c9a326a31024ad0bac97be.html
Chinese health authorities have issued a guideline to give full play to the role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the prevention and treatment of new outbreaks of infectious diseases. The guideline, released by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, also aims to promote the use of TCM in the emergency management of public health incidents. http://yzs.satcm.gov.cn/zhengcewenjian/2021-06-15/22021.html
The management of the national TCM emergency medical team will be strengthened and its emergency treatment capability will be improved, the guideline reads. The TCM emergency medical team consists of the national TCM disease prevention and control group and the national TCM emergency medical rescue group, it says. A coordination mechanism will be established with the National Health Commission to dispatch the national TCM emergency medical team, in order to ensure TCM's prompt response to new infectious diseases.