It was an unexpected challenge.
 
From July 28 to 30, Ningxiang reported 3 COVID-19 positive cases, including 1 confirmed case and 2 asymptomatic carriers. Facing the new round of outbreak, Ningxiang took active measures to contain the epidemic.
 
After the initial victory in the fight against COVID-19 in 2020, both the government and the people of Ningxiang always stay tense and prepared.
 
Ningxiang is one of the first places in Hunan to report new confirmed cases in this outbreak. The Ningxiang Municipal Party Committee and the government conscientiously implemented the decision and deployment of the superior, with the most rapid action, the most effective measures to cope with the epidemic, and strictly prevent the spread of the mutant virus.
 
As of August 10, no new cases or second-generation cases have been reported in Ningxiang for 12 consecutive days.
 
Quick decision-making—people's lives and health are of paramount importance
 
On the early morning of July 29, the 129th deployment meeting on the epidemic prevention and control in Ningxiang was held at the COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. It had only been 34 minutes since Ningxiang People's Hospital reported the first positive case. At the meeting, Ningxiang started the emergency response plan, established nine working groups, and went all out to carry out the anti-epidemic work.
 
Subsequently, 34 deployment meetings were held and 24 orders were issued in Ningxiang—suspending vocational skills training, strengthening the role of medical institutions and pharmacies as checkpoints, conducting citywide nucleic acid testing, adopting closed-loop management of enterprises, and shutting down chess and card rooms in the city. Timely orders and implementation wove a protective net for people's lives.
 
Protecting people's lives and health is a solemn commitment of the Party and the government, which is why Ningxiang made such a quick response. 
 
Efficient and unified emergency command.

After a new round of outbreak, main leaders of the Party and government took the lead in fighting the epidemic, and shifted from the normalized epidemic prevention and control into emergency response at the fastest speed. Successive dispatching orders were issued to mobilize party members at all levels, who made unremitting efforts to implement prevention and control measures with the most resolute attitude, the most rapid action and the most decisive ways.
 
A normal and standardized prevention and control mechanism.

As early as July 23, the Ningxiang Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a notice on strengthening the examination of health codes to citizens.

From 4 pm to 9 pm on July 27, the government carried out the inspection of epidemic prevention and control in hotels, cinemas, scenic spots, hospitals, community clinics, pharmacies and other units.

On the morning of July 28, primary-level organizations in the townships (streets) and villages (communities) joined the 128th deployment meeting through video link, which conveyed the specific requirements to the relevant departments and cadres.
 
A thorough and orderly emergency plan

Ningxiang formulated corresponding prevention and control strategies and emergency response plans according to epidemic situations: no cases are found in villages (communities), outbreak in villages (communities), and epidemic spread in villages (communities). All of the 3,700 medical workers have been trained for nucleic acid testing and sampling.

Since November 2020, Ningxiang has carried out nine rehearsals for epidemic emergency, and each time it has been able to respond and handle the emergency in the first place. In the current situation of prevention and control, Ningxiang has fought a "prepared battle".
 
Quick action—experience and methods make epidemic prevention effective

Every minute counts in the fight against the sudden epidemic.
 
At 1:00 a.m. on July 29, Ningxiang quickly identified key communities, conducted closed-loop management and nucleic acid testing for the risk groups. After that, seven emergency response teams were organized overnight to carry out epidemiological investigation, tracking and management, and to take the lead in finding the important transmission sites in the province, providing a strong basis for determining the transmission chain in relevant areas.
 
On the same day, Ningxiang started nucleic acid testing in the four streets of the city as soon as possible. 50 nucleic acid sampling sites and 350 nucleic acid sampling stations were set up in 41 villages (communities) in the urban area, and more than 700 medical staff were gathered to the sampling sites. Within 35 hours, 384,000 samples were collected from urban residents, all of which were tested negative.

After the launch of emergency response, Ningxiang quickly transferred capable officials from the units at all levels to expand the working team to 14 teams, to ensure comprehensive coordination, material information, epidemic examination, epidemiological investigation, nucleic acid sampling, medical treatment, material security, publicity, supervision, traffic control, quarantine, vaccination, disinfection, cold chain control and other work.
 
The efficient operation of the whole process requires all departments to give play to their strengths and abilities, and more importantly, to work together skillfully.

"Big Data + Grid" provides data support 

The health commission, public security, data resource center and other departments jointly carry out personnel tracing, strengthen analysis and estimation, data sharing and comparison, to ensure comprehensive and accurate investigation and build an efficient and coordinated defense line for epidemic prevention.
 
Systematic information collection channels support monitoring and early warning.
 
On the one hand, medical and health institutions in Ningxiang strengthen pre-examination and triage, and set up patient register. On the other hand, retail pharmacies make real-name registration for buyers of febrifuge, antiviral drugs and antibacterial drugs. And the health departments assign special personnel to track and handle the data reported by medical institutions.

Enterprises in industrial parks implement closed-loop management, urge employees to follow strict personal protection requirements, and strengthen the control over personnel, vehicles and goods entering and leaving the company, to minimize the risk of epidemic infection.
 
Professional and mature response wins the initiative for epidemic prevention. 

Delta variant is characterized by fast transmission speed, strong infectivity, high viral load, strong pathogenicity, and being more prone to immune escape. According to the situation, Ningxiang adopted a "reverse" thinking—designating risk areas to conduct closed-loop management first, accurately tracing and managing risk groups later, which broke the previous thinking on epidemic response and helped seize the opportunity for epidemic prevention.

In order to cut off the transmission chain at the first time, Ningxiang strictly implemented technical regulations and opened six centralized medical observation places to ensure that key groups should be separated from each other to the greatest extent. 

Those put in quarantine at home are under the joint management of 1 township (street) leader, 1 township grid cadre, 1 village (community) grid cadre, 1 doctor in a public hospital or village doctor, 1 policeman and 1 full-time administrator during the 14-day quarantine.
 
Quick effect—Party members, cadres and the masses work together to fight against epidemic.
 
On the morning of July 29, Chen Yuting concentrated on nucleic acid sampling under the blazing sun at He’an Community, Yutan Street. A few hours ago, she was on summer vacation until she saw a message urgently recruiting volunteers for nucleic acid sampling in the WeChat group. Chen Yuting, who works at the infirmary of Hunan Normal University, immediately signed up, saying, "We are shorthanded now, and I will be helpful with my professional knowledge."

At the nucleic acid sampling sites, at the gate of the community, on the streets and alleys, volunteers have been seen in every corner.

"It took me a few minutes to receive a nucleic acid test, which made me break out in a sweat, while medical staff have to work in the thick protective suit for a long time. I would never imagine how hard it was." "It is really hard for the medical staff and volunteers. We should cooperate as much as possible." Citizens praised and cheered for all the personnel involved in epidemic prevention and control efforts.
 
People are the main force in epidemic prevention and control. In Ningxiang, the Party members and cadres have rich experience in dealing with the masses, and the masses trust in the government. 
 
Timely and real information updates create a good atmosphere. The latest information about epidemic prevention is released by text message, TV broadcast, WeChat public account and other publicity channels.

By August 9, Ningxiang had sent 34.38 million short messages on epidemic prevention to citizens, and published 1,512 news reports on work update and popular science knowledge. At the same time, two rumor-mongers who disturbed the epidemic prevention and control order in Ningxiang were seriously dealt with.
 
Screening by paying visits to citizens builds a strong barrier for epidemic prevention. Organizations in towns (streets) and villages (communities) and volunteers were extensively mobilized to carry out screening in the whole city, so as to accurately know about the basic situation of the people's flow. 

Efforts have been made to guide citizens to take the initiative to report, show their health codes, and cooperate with nucleic acid testing, such as informing them of knowledge and notices through publicity vehicles, WeChat groups, phone and other ways.

The observation venues for patients with fever have been put into use, with 100 new beds and testing equipment added. The daily testing capacity has reached 10,000 tubes to ensure the rapid testing of key groups. And third-party organizations and other professional forces have participated in scientifical examination of nucleic acid test results, building a strong barrier against the epidemic through joint efforts.