No children in child welfare institutions and juvenile rescue and protection agencies or orphans living outside these organizations on the Chinese mainland have been infected with the novel coronvirus, an official said at a recent press conference, Chinanews.com reported on April 24.

There are a total of 65,000 orphaned or abandoned children in the 1,217 child welfare institutions on the Chinese mainland, Ni Chunxia, deputy head of the child welfare division of China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, said at a press conference held by the ministry on April 24.

China's 1,806 juvenile rescue and protection agencies have provided temporary assistance for and taken care of a total of 5,675 children since last January, according to Ni.

In addition, the country has 177,000 orphans living outside these organizations, Ni said, stressing that none of the above-mentioned children has been infected with the novel coronavirus.

Most of the children in child welfare institutions have severe underlying medical conditions, with up to 98 percent of these children suffering serious diseases and severe disabilities, Ni disclosed, noting that the consequences would be disastrous if these children were infected with the virus.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs immediately formulated epidemic prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and later raised the necessary requirements when the situation escalated, Ni said.

On January 23, the ministry issued an emergency notice on epidemic prevention and control in child welfare service institutions, calling on relevant institutions to promptly draw up emergency response plans and enhance monitoring, reporting, and protection for certain areas, according to Ni.

On January 27, the ministry issued guidelines on epidemic prevention and control efforts in child welfare institutions, raising the relevant requirements and putting forward ten concrete measures to prevent any possible source of infection, Ni revealed.

Meanwhile, the ministry has carried out comprehensive deployments and provided overall guidance and support for child welfare institutions in their epidemic prevention and control efforts, Ni said. This has been done through measures including holding national video conferences, sending work groups to Wuhan, the worst-hit Chinese city, and opening "green channels" for daily rescue and treatment for children.

In addition, the ministry has carried out random inspections of 61 child welfare institutions and juvenile rescue and protection agencies covering all the country's provinces via video, which has helped uncover potential risks and rectify mistakes in a timely manner, Ni noted.

The ministry has also held five special training sessions via online platforms for nearly 1,500 heads of child welfare institutions and juvenile rescue and protection agencies, Ni added.

The zero infection rate of the novel coronavirus in these institutions and agencies could not have been achieved without the remarkable efforts of front-line workers in these organizations, Ni emphasized.