SYDNEY, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- An Australian biosecurity expert said Monday that all countries should be equally vigilant to prevent sustained transmission of COVID-19 in their communities.

Rapid surveillance, early detection of cases and outbreaks, border control, rapid isolation of cases, and contact tracing are very important for controlling an infectious disease, said Raina MacIntyre, professor of global biosecurity with Sydney-based University of New South Wales, told Xinhua in an interview.

"The Chinese did a phenomenal job in disease control, and the rest of the world has benefited by reducing the risk of transmission globally. However, all countries need to be equally vigilant to prevent sustained transmission in their communities, or we may lose the window of opportunity we have been given to end this epidemic," she said.

She also spoke highly of China's reaction, saying it is better prepared than it was during the 2003 SARS outbreak. "They have shown how quickly they can respond to an epidemic and also share data with WHO."

She said the trend of case counts is reassuring and suggesting the epidemic in China, which peaked in early February, is now declining. She also warned that most of China is still susceptible to the infection.

She also said it is critical to protect health workers and ensure their occupational health and safety.

As for the research on vaccine, she said a vaccine being even 50-56 percent effective should prevent transmission, however, the requirements for safety testing and testing in humans is what makes the vaccine development process lengthy.  ■