Public health workers in Hubei province, the area hardest hit by the novel coronavirus in China, started participating in a weeklong training session on March 22 to improve their abilities in prevention and control of the virus.

The training, organized by the National Health Commission and Hubei's COVID-19 epidemic control headquarters, is also aimed at fostering a team of talent in the province capable of providing improved overall health services to meet the increasing demand from the public in the long run.

The training will cover staff from various levels of public health service providers in Hubei, ranging from officials at the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention to grassroots public health workers at community hospitals and township health centers, according to the commission.

Yu Xuejun, vice-minister of health, said the training, which lasts a week, will focus on COVID-19 control and prevention but will also include control and prevention of other diseases.

In particular, the training will be integrated with the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic control efforts in Hubei so public health workers across the province will be more prepared to cope with epidemic risks, restoration of production and the return of migrant workers, he said.

Meanwhile, disease control and prevention staff from other parts of China who are in Hubei to help fight the epidemic will also provide tailored training to local staff.

The epidemic, although contained in China, has exposed loopholes and deficiencies in public health management, Yu said.

"Our ability to provide services lags behind the health demands from the public," he said. "We must not only try to improve the ability of disease control and prevention staff workers in Hubei in terms of COVID-19 control and prevention, but also try to improve their overall ability to provide public health services."

Wang Hesheng, another vice-health minister who is also a top official in Hubei, said the training will not interrupt epidemic control and prevention work in the province, as sustained efforts are still needed to cope with possible epidemic risks with the restoration of production and inflow of visitors from other epidemic-affected countries.

Wang called on centers for disease control of all levels to play a more professional role in the prevention and control of outbreaks, including clearly identifying all close contacts of patients, to ensure no loopholes are left.

As a major city and a transport hub in Central China, Wuhan faces higher risks of importing COVID-19 cases, Wang said, adding that targeted plans and measures should be formulated to prevent a possible rebound of infections.

On the morning of March 22, experts from organizations including the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Peking University provided training to health workers in Hubei through video conference, covering topics including disease control and prevention in communities, identification and management of close contacts of COVID-19 patients, making sterilization plans for specific areas, and virus sampling and testing.