A team of Chinese medical experts shared their hands-on experience treating COVID-19 cases to peers working on the frontline in 13 Latin American countries, which are experiencing escalating challenges in the novel coronavirus pandemic, during a live broadcast on Friday.

During the one and a half hour video discussion, Wang Jian'an, president of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, and his team shared their practices and experience. They covered both their time at the hospital in Hangzhou city and when they medically supported Wuhan, the hardest-hit region in China, with a 171-strong medical contingent.

The experts from the top-tier Chinese hospital also answered queries about personal protective equipment in different areas of the hospitals, treatment of patients in different severity levels, and special cases, including pregnant women, as well as the equipment and supply chain in China and the role of traditional Chinese medicine in alleviating symptoms. The live broadcast was watched by around 2,300 medical workers and initiated by Lilly China.

Wang said he found medical workers in Latin America, estimated to endure the peak of the outbreak in weeks, were especially interested in infection control within the hospital.

"This is of great importance to guarantee the health of medical workers and non-COVID-19 patients," Wang said.

"Medical institutions cannot collapse. When the overall response strategy of a hospital is well-prepared, the treatment of individual patients will become less tough," Wang added. He and his team recently published a book recounting their experience of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. The book has been translated into 25 foreign languages and is available online for free download.

China's fever clinic system was another area of interest and could help address to their problems, he continued, adding his team had opened channels to peers in Latin America to take follow-up questions.

Julio Gay-Ger, president and general manager of Lilly China, said the company decided to organize the live broadcast to help countries prepare to react to potential peaks of the outbreak.

"COVID-19 is a big threat to humanity and we all need to contribute to the joint fight in one way or another," he said.

Beyond monetary donations and those of medical protective supplies, he said the company has in the last two months taken multiple actions, particularly with its expertise in monoclonal antibody to look for potential medical solutions.

The company has entered into an agreement with Canada-based AbCellera, which specializes in therapeutic monoclonal antibody discovery, and another with Junshi Biosciences, a local Shanghai startup, to jointly develop antibody products for the potential prevention and treatment of COVID-19.