THE 1st China Health Science and Technology Innovation and Development Conference, jointly sponsored by the National Health Commission’s development center for medical science and technology and the Shenzhen Municipal Government, took place in Shenzhen on Friday.

The conference is held under the theme of “Science and technology innovation helps COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.”

Through policy publicity, academic reports, forums, innovation competitions and achievement displays, the conference summarized the achievements and experience of sci-tech innovation in the health sector during China’s 13th Five-Year Plan period and discussed the development direction of medical innovation for the next five-year plan.

Zhong Nanshan, recipient of the Medal of the Republic and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, attended the conference and gave a report, highlighting the important role clinical advances have played in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhong affirmed Shenzhen’s efforts and achievements in COVID-19 prevention and control, and made the latest analysis on the current pandemic situation, COVID-19 and influenza co-infection, and vaccine development.

Facing the next flu season, Zhong said that good detection methods that can quickly identify influenza and the novel coronavirus are needed. He added that the key to the prevention and control of the flu and new coronavirus infections is to adhere to self-protection measures.

For the COVID-19 vaccine, Zhong insisted that innate immunity is unrealistic, unscientific and inhumane, and large-scale vaccination is needed to fight against the novel coronavirus.

Zhong particularly stressed that China should not slow down scientific research just because the pandemic situation has eased within the country. He hopes that researchers across the country can maintain vigilance and speed up research and development.

Experts and scholars from research institutes, enterprises, investment institutions and internationally well-known health organizations made insightful reports on a wide array of topics.