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BEIJING, March 7-- As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide exceeded 100,000 on Saturday, the world must recognize that the fight against the epidemic has come to a critical juncture. As the clock continues to tick, countries around the world must join together to contain the novel coronavirus before it grows into a global pandemic. After weeks of strong and rigorous measures to rein in the spread of the disease, China's efforts have paid off. The number of new COVID-19 cases in the country dropped to double-digit figures on Friday for the first time since Jan. 20. China's practices have shown that by speedy and committed containment efforts, the spread of COVID-19 can be thwarted. Therefore, it is imperative to form a global consensus on the importance of prompt COVID-19 prevention and control measures. To conquer the outbreak, governments around the world should act with speed, scale and clear-minded determination, and, in the words of World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pull out all the stops. They should take prevention and control measures seriously and demonstrate the level of political commitment that matches the level of the peril the world is facing. To push back the disease, all countries should also strengthen coordination and cooperation at all levels at home. China's efforts in the past weeks have yielded positive results only after a collective, coordinated and comprehensive method which has motivated the entire machinery of the government and all walks of life in Chinese society. | 
