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Coronavirus China
ChinaScience

George Gao Fu, head of China’s CDC who helped lead coronavirus pandemic response, stepping down

  • Noted virologist wins praise for contributions, but hope is expressed for ‘reforms’ at the institution under new leadership
  • Prominent public health expert Shen Hongbing to succeed Gao as nation carries on zero-Covid strategy

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George Gao Fu, 60, is retiring as head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention after four years in the role. Photo: AP
Owen Churchill

George Gao Fu, the head of China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is stepping down from his position leading the institution and will be replaced by Shen Hongbing, a prominent public health expert, the CDC announced on Tuesday.

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In a statement, the CDC attributed the 60-year-old Gao’s retirement to his age, even though many Chinese officials stay in office well into their 60s and even beyond. His successor Shen is only two years his junior.

A top health official on Tuesday said he hoped the centre’s new leadership would bring about “reforms” at the institution, including a closer adherence to President Xi Jinping’s directives.

During a meeting of CDC officials on Tuesday, Gao said that “as someone working in the sciences, [he] would continue to devote energy to the advancement of disease control and the development of public health” even after his departure.

China orders Covid lockdowns and mass testing as nationwide case numbers surpass 1,000
Wang Hesheng, China’s top official for infectious disease control, was quoted by the CDC’s readout of the meeting as praising Gao for his contributions to public health, including his “leadership of all the centre’s staff during the coronavirus pandemic response”. Gao’s tenure as CDC chief began in 2017.
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