TIRANA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Albania commended China for having its medical experts to share important data and experiences with the Albanian health institute through a video conference on containing the spread of coronavirus, Director of Public Health Institute Albana Fico said here on Thursday.
In an interview with Xinhua, Fico, who attended the video conference held between medical experts from China and some European countries on coronavirus, spoke highly of China's information sharing with the European countries that are fighting the pandemic.
Fico underlined that the current situation asks for cooperation and mobilization of the international community.
"The situation created by the coronavirus is absolutely not just a problem of Asia, but of the entire world. This is the time for international cooperation. The world has now entered a stage where the problem that concerns us all is COVID-19," she said.
Fico expressed her hope that the Chinese medical experts will continue sharing with the rest of the world information relating to this pandemic, epidemiological protocols and patient treatment protocols.
According to Fico, the measures taken by the Chinese government are drastic ones, which had undoubtedly helped contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Albania is convinced that measures adopted by China are an example to follow, she added.
"I personally believe that China's measures served China, but they are an extraordinary example for Albania. Despite the fact that we have a smaller population, we have started to see that the number of cases we are dealing with daily has been reduced by these measures," she said.
With regard to the huge costs in terms of the lives lost and impact on the Chinese economy due to COVID-19, Fico said that China has immediately started taking actions to overcome the effects and crisis created by the coronavirus.
Fico believes that the Chinese people will soon resume work after the government successfully contained the outbreak, adding that China will "win the war through the determination and willpower of its people to overcome the difficulties."
On Albania-China cooperation, Fico said it is fruitful and intensifying in the fight against the pandemic, especially in information sharing to "better understand the recovery period or what doctors call patient recuperation stage, which includes not only the medical but also the social components of dealing with the epidemic."
"We want to be informed on China's results relating to both preventive measures and medical treatment of the patients," she said.
According to her, Albanian health experts are very interested in the incorporation of traditional Chinese medicine in treating the patients who have been tested positive.
As for the situation in Albania, Fico said the strict measures taken by the Albanian government have allowed the health authorities to continue testing and have stabled the number of confirmed cases so far.
Fico said the Albanian government has been far ahead of many other European countries in taking measures to prevent and stem the spread of the virus in the population, following consultations with international authorities, such as the World Health Organization, as well as references to the Chinese experience.
These measures include restriction on movement of citizens, social distancing and school closures, she added.
"We still have a lot of questions that we have not been able to answer scientifically, but I believe that it is very important that we continue with these measures," she added.
