Traffic officers take an oath to fight against the virus at a checkpoint in Zhejiang province. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

Editor's note: Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in January, Zhejiang province has been making vigorous efforts to fight it. This special series will take a close look at the measures the province has taken during the epidemic.

The government's quick response to COVID-19 was essential to Zhejiang province's victory against the virus.

The province launched its first-level major public health emergency response on Jan 23, making it the first province in the nation to do so. That same day, the provincial government also implemented 10 measures to curb the spread of the virus.

"Zhejiang has many residents currently working or studying in Wuhan, especially entrepreneurs. Hundreds of thousands of Zhejiang entrepreneurs are doing business in Wuhan. Moreover, Zhejiang and Hubei have had frequent human-to-human exchange in recent years," said Chen Guangsheng, executive deputy director of the leadership group office of epidemic prevention and control in Zhejiang. He also said he believed the province's fast response was essential for fighting off the virus.

The province had been on high alert ever since early January. The provincial health commission called upon 10 medical experts on Jan 11 to analyze the situation and discuss possible solutions. It also launched special training programs on TV and on mobile phones for clinical physicians and medical workers in disease control centers throughout the province.

"The training was very effective," said Xia Shichang, deputy director of the provincial health commission, explaining that the first confirmed case in the province was found in the orthopedics department rather than a clinic for fevers or infectious diseases.

"Our preparatory work laid a strong foundation for the early discovery, isolation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients," added Xia.

As the situation improved and workers started to return to work in early February, the provincial government announced a plan on Feb 9 to help companies resume operations while also controlling the outbreak.

Taking advantage of digital technology, the province launched a "one map, one code, one index" system to strengthen epidemic control.

"One map" refers to a map of the epidemic's presence throughout the province. Zhejiang began to assess the risk of novel coronavirus infection in all its counties and districts, and then unveiled a list of regions with varying risk levels.

"One code" refers to a health QR code, which Hangzhou launched on Feb 11 to curb the spread of the virus as companies resumed production, and Zhejiang began promoting a unified health QR code system throughout the province on Feb 16. Soon afterward, the system was promoted nationwide.

"One index" refers to an index for precisely and intelligently controlling the epidemic.

The province has also sent 2,009 medical workers to Hubei province, the epicenter of the epidemic in China, since Jan 25, to aid local hospitals amid the epidemic.

He Yanling, a professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy of Renmin University of China, said that Zhejiang's success in controlling the epidemic can be attributed to a reasonable allocation of its abundant resources, efficient sharing of information through big data technologies, and successful overall social coordination.