Health authorities prepare to fend off outbreaks during holiday

Health authorities are stepping up the supplies of hospital beds and fever reducers in the lead up to the May Day holiday as a precaution to fend off flu and COVID-19 outbreaks.

A greater number of travels and mass gatherings are expected for the upcoming five-day May Day holiday, which officially starts on Saturday, said Guo Yanhong, director of the National Health Commission's health emergency department.

"Therefore, the epidemic monitoring and analysis will be further strengthened, as well as preparations for relevant medical treatment measures," she told a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Guo said her office has been tracking and analyzing the availability of fever clinic services as part of a broader effort to bolster the supply of relevant treatments. It urged hospitals to shore up supplies of antiviral drugs and ambulances.

The office has also created a system in which the country's top experts will give guidance to grassroots hospitals during the period, she said.