As China has entered a new phase of its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, a senior health expert stressed the importance of rolling out faster efforts to detect infections and ramping up capacity of quarantine and treatment facilities.

The latest and fourth stage of epidemic control began in March of this year, featuring a set of comprehensive, targeted and precise measures to cut the transmission of the highly contagious Omicron variant, Liang Wannian, head of the National Health Commission's virus response exert panel, said during a news conference on Friday.

Due to the high proportion of asymptomatic Omicron cases and the variant's ability to spread stealthily, Liang said it is essential to guarantee prompt screening of key groups, integrate antigen tests with nucleic acid tests and step up monitoring at fever clinics.

In order to deal with the potential spike in new cases in a short period, Liang said local authorities should ensure sufficient beds at designated hospitals, makeshift hospitals and isolation sites.

China has also upgraded its protocols for handling COVID-19 patients of different severity so as to prevent mild or asymptomatic patients from occupying medical services unnecessarily, he added.

Liang said the current stage has also attached great significance to guaranteeing medical demands of non-COVID patients, especially those in serious condition, and ensuring normal operation of general hospitals, children's and maternal healthcare institutions.