Young ‘soldiers’ fight coronavirus epidemic in China

A great number of spirited young Chinese born after 1990 have joined the front line of the battle against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic which broke out in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province in late December 2019 as their peers have had to stay at home because of the epidemic, playing with their mobile phones or watching TV dramas on the couch.

Hu Pei in work and daily life.

Hu Pei, a nurse born in 1998, who works in the infectious disease department of Hunan Children’s Hospital in Changsha, the capital of central China’s Hunan Province, has been busy taking care of patients in isolation wards for several consecutive days.

Hu is a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Young as she is, she has carried out her duties like a brave soldier. In the face of hard work and the risk of infection, she wrote a letter to her family without hesitation, saying “I’m prepared to be quarantined at any time”.

Talcum powder, disinfectant, and sanitizer have damaged Hu’s hand skin, leaving bloody scars on her hands, but the young girl, who loves taking selfies in her spare time, shoulders her responsibilities as a medical worker without compliant, fulfilling the original aspiration and mission that CPC members wish to do.

Hu is just one individual of the many formations comprising young Chinese in the battle against the novel coronavirus. Many more “soldiers” about her age are joining the battle and sticking to their posts across the country.

Liang Shun in work and daily life.

Liang Shun is a male nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Jinyintan hospital in Wuhan. The young man born in 1999 returned to his hometown in Xiaogan, Hubei on Jan.23, 2020, which was one day before the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Liang drove back to Wuhan immediately after he learned that the epidemic situation in Wuhan was rather serious. Seeing their son returned to his post without a good meal, Liang’s parents felt sorry for him. Liang told his parents that it was his duty to return to the hospital.

Xu Wenhui, a nurse born in 1997, works in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. She just had an operation as the news about the epidemic came. Xu demanded that she should be arranged to work on the front line of the prevention and control.

Xu’s demand was rejected at first, as the head nurse thought Xu is not physically strong enough. However, Xu insisted on including her in the team helping with the work of the ICU, so she was finally transferred from the neurology department to the ICU.

Wu Kangqian in work and daily life.

Xu’s colleague, Wu Kangqian, who was born in 1998, works in isolation wards of The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. Wu’s father worries about her, and sends short messages to her every day, reminding her to take care of herself.

Fear is inevitable, but as long as everyone can unite as one and work together, the epidemic is bound to be defeated, said Wu.

Zhang Dandan in work and daily life.

Zhang Dandan, a 25-year-old head of the crew of a train from Fuzhou, the capital city of east China’s Fujian Province, to Beijing, has not had a reunion dinner with her family on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year for seven years in a row.

At present, as the coronavirus epidemic spreads in the country, every trip of Zhang’s train is a major combat experience for her.

Zhang takes the temperature of the crew of the train she is responsible for and checks the medicine cabinet and medical equipment on the train before departure. She patrols the carriages and pays close attention to passengers and food safety on the train throughout the journey.

Cao Yuanyuan in work and daily life.

Cao Yuanyuan is a post-2000s girl from northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. She became a train attendant in the passenger train running in the railway section of Nancheng, the capital city of east China’s Jiangxi Province two years ago.

Working in the crowd every day even after the epidemic broke out, Cao had felt stressed, but never flinched. She tries to spread knowledge about the prevention and control of the epidemic while ensuring ventilation and sanitation in key areas of the carriages is consistent.

Peng Yuanbo in work and daily life.

In order to fight the epidemic, Peng Yuanbo, a civil servant born in 1995, returned to her post in Anyuan District, Pingxiang City of Jiangxi Province after taking her 9-month-old daughter to her parents-in-law.

Peng and her husband work on the front line of the battle against the coronavirus epidemic. They go to work before dawn and return home around midnight every day.

“As civil servants in the grass-roots management, we are needed more by the people in our community than our daughter. We will make it up for to her in the future,” said Peng, who verifies people who came or return to Pingxiang from Hubei and checks the body temperature of these people from door to door.

Gan Zhuo in work and daily life.

Gan Zhuo, a doctor in the health center of Futian Township, Shangli County of Pingxiang City, has lived in the health center since Jan.21. The doctor born in 1995 has actively shouldered his responsibilities and made great efforts to help with the disinfection and quarantine in the families which have family members who returned from Hubei.

Gan’s clothes were wetted by the disinfectant he carried on his back to various villages, and caught a cold because of which. However, Gan sticks to his post and has not been home for more than 10 days, though catching a cold is not a trivial matter for his work in the front line of the nationwide battle.

Wang Lei in work and daily life.

Wang Lei, a 25-year-old subway steward in Shanghai, has remained at his post since Jan.24. Wang is a demobilized soldier. Although he knows clearly that working in the subway station where there puts him in exposure to a large flow of people means greater risk of infection, Wang carries out his duties professionally as always.

Dong Ziru in work and daily life.

In a vital road between Zhentou Township, Wuyuan County, Shangrao City of Jiangxi and Jingdezhen City of Jiangxi, Dong Ziru, a 22-year-old girl, carefully takes the body temperature of the people who pass by the section and spreads knowledge about the prevention and control of the coronavirus epidemic together with leaders of village management authorities.

Dong is a medical worker in the health center of Zhentou Township. She is responsible for ultrasonic examinations. Dong has joined the team for the examination on the road since Jan.25, and has to work in the wind for more than 10 hours every day. After a day’s work, her legs get numb and she can't feel her face, but the young girl has never complained about the work.

“I’m ready to do my part and help with the work of the places that are most in need,” said Dong, who explained that 17 years ago, many people protected her in the battle against the SARS epidemic, now as a medical worker, it’s her duty to try her best to protect others.

“Although we are young, we can assure our motherland that its people will be well protected.” Such declaration by young Chinese individuals has brought about great courage into the nationwide efforts to combat the epidemic.