An International Symposium on COVID-19 was held via webcast on Monday, in which well-known scientists and clinicians from around the world shared and explored the latest anti-pandemic policies, scientific discoveries, treatment plans and scientific achievements. 

Academician Xiaolin Tong, an expert from China's Central Guiding Team on COVID-19, head the of Medical Treatment Team of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at the symposium that numerous patients were infected in the outbreak but received interventions with Chinese medicine at the earliest time, which played a vital role in containing the outbreak when there was no wonder drug or vaccine against the virus.

Jun Song, a member of the Leading Party Members' Group and Executive Secretary of China Association for Science and Technology. (Photos: People's Daily)

Tong made a presentation titled “TCM Knowledge and Treatment on COVID-19”. He said that as the global confirmed cases of COVID-19 had exceeded 1.3 million, there has been no increases in Wuhan for successive days. TCM highlights the unique strength and effect in the whole course of treatment of COVID-19.

He said that in the 720 clinically mild and modest cases, the frequency of becoming severe is 0% in the TCM Prescription group (none aggravated), compared with 6.5% for the control group. Of 662 cases of severe / critical patients observed, the risk of death decreased by 87.7% for the TCM Decoction group. 420 patients received comprehensive interventions in the recovery period, symptoms improved significantly, with a frequency of recurring positive in the comprehensive intervention group (2.77%) substantially lower than the control group (15.79%). 

He noted that all of these differences were statistically significant, adding that it can be said that TCM has been validated in the pandemic and contributed China’s wisdom to the whole world in fighting against the pandemic.

Photo of academician Xiaolin Tong, an expert of Central Guiding Team on COVID-19, head of Medical Treatment Team of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and an member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Experts attending the symposium believe that no country is immune from the outbreak as the pandemic is spreading around the world. The only way out is being united to confront the pandemic together.