Chinese medical team returns home from Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea

CHANGSHA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A medical team selected by central China's Hunan Province has returned home after helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.

Following a 14-day quarantine period in Sanya, Hainan Province, the team, consisting of 12 experts with experience in COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment, arrived at Changsha, capital of Hunan, on Monday.

Designated by the National Health Commission, the team flew directly to Zimbabwe with medical supplies donated by the provincial government on May 11, kicking off a one-month medical-aid trip to Africa.

Zhu Yimin, deputy director of the provincial health commission and head of the team, said the experts are from respiratory departments, infectious disease departments, and the fields of intensive medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, infection control, public health and nursing.

Zhu said they visited relevant medical and testing institutions in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea to share China's experience in fighting against the epidemic.

The team cooperated with local medical workers on treatment plans and guided local laboratories to improve their nucleic acid testing capability. The team also submitted a professional and guiding proposal for COVID-19 prevention and control, according to Zhu.