Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the administration of disease prevention and control, emphasized the importance of reforming and improving the disease prevention and control system to safeguard people's health and national security.

Efforts should be made to streamline systems and mechanisms, clarify functions and improve professional competence to build an authoritative and efficient disease containment system with strong leadership, said Sun, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

She urged efforts to establish relevant institutions at the national, provincial, prefectural, and county levels, while strengthening leadership in higher-level disease prevention and control agencies over the lower-level ones and improving their work coordination.

Sun also called for setting up a network for disease control and prevention, building tiered and classified public health emergency response teams, developing new mechanisms for enhancing coordination between disease prevention and control agencies and hospitals, boosting scientific research in the field, and improving the consultation system for decision-making.

The administration should continue to push forward the progress in COVID-19 vaccinations, fully implement regular epidemic prevention, and take strict precautions against cluster infections and sporadic cases, to maintain a favorable environment for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, Sun said.