The Covid-19 pandemic has turned into a global public health crisis, evolving at an unparalleled speed and scale, debilitating economies and health systems across the globe. It became imperative for governments and organizations across the globe to take immediate actions to protect their people.

China was the first country impacted by the novel virus. While fear and panic permeated the country, China’s government, from central to local leaderships, rapidly mapped out their out-break response strategies and coordinated their epidemic control plans. Vast technology infrastructure quickly took action, deploying tools for information access and dissemination, population tracking and contact tracing, access to daily necessities, and many more. Technology, especially digital technology, was an instrumental part of their strategy implementation.

With the Rockefeller Foundation’s support, ACCESS Health conducted a systematic study, documenting and sharing both policy initiatives and technology solutions used in supporting the public health system in China throughout the pandemic.

The report offers an in-depth understanding of the actions and strategies implemented by the government, the role digital technology played, the technologies used, and the impact made across six outbreak response categories including fast response, epidemiological studies, diagnosis and treatment, supportive activities, long-term management and comprehensive disease control system.