Salute to beautiful “fighters in white” in China’s battle against novel coronavirus

As the third decade of the 21st century just raised its curtain, a novel coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, turning hospitals into battlefields and medical staffs into soldiers.

A medical staff samples throat swab for a patient, Feb. 2, 2020. The fever clinic of the First People's Hospital of Changzhou, eastern China’s Jiangsu province runs 24 hours per day during the Chinese New Year to battle against the novel coronavirus. The hospital established a professional emergency medical team, set up a specialized treatment zone for the fever clinic and enclosed an isolation zone to treat the fevered and observe suspected cases. (Photo by Chen Wei, People’s Daily Online)

The 84-year-old academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Zhong Nanshan rushed to the epicenter on a high-speed train, leaving a touching scene on television screens and social media networks; batches of medical workers volunteered to lend a hand for Wuhan, saying they don’t need any reward and are not afraid of death.

They are sticking to their posts in the heart of danger, and going directly into the battlefield.

At 9:00 a.m., Jan. 22, Wu Xiaoyan, a physician from the pathology department of the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, who was on route to her hometown for the approaching Chinese New Year, immediately went back to Wuhan after receiving a call of medical assistance from her hospital. Two hours later, she showed up at the hospital, saying she only felt assured when staying in the “battle ground” where everybody else was combating.

“My ‘comrade in arms’ are all here, and the more dangerous it is, the more we have to fight,” said Yan Li, associate chief physician at the emergency department of Wuhan’s Tongji Hospital. She had applied for a vacation to the hospital and was preparing for a family trip on Jan. 22. However, she went straight back to the hospital from the airport.

Zhu Hu, vice president of the Wuhan Psychological Hospital who had just withdrawn from an aiding program in Tibet Autonomous Region, was suddenly diverted to the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, where he had worked for years to assist his former colleagues in the battle against the novel coronavirus.

It was on the second day of her daughter’s arrival at home from Beijing for the Chinese New Year that Zhu received the order. He went straight to the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital after shortly seeing her daughter. Zhu has been living in a hotel near the hospital in case his family might be infected, and his daughter is still not able to see him till today.

Three novel coronavirus-infected patients leave the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China. After meticulous treatment and nursing, their nucleic acid reagent tests showed negative. They were allowed to leave the hospital upon the evaluation of experts. (Photo by Luo Meng, People’s Daily Online)

In face of the epidemic, there are a great number of medical staffs across the country who have left touching words on their application letters to assist Wuhan, saying they stand ready at any time and will do anything to contain the virus.

When difficulties arise in one place in the country, aid comes from everywhere. A total of over 6,000 medical staffs went to Wuhan to aid the novel coronavirus control efforts. They volunteered to go to the battlefield and stand together with the people in Wuhan.

Fever clinics, designated hospitals, specialized hospitals, observation zones, isolation zones and red zones – these are terms that would always terrify people. However, there are over 60,000 medical staffs in Wuhan sticking to their posts, and 15,000 “fighters in white” combating on the front line.

According to an executive at the fever clinic of the Wuhan No.7 Hospital, the hospital has opened 6 consulting rooms since the clinic started on Jan. 22, and 9 doctors are working simultaneously for the patients. The clinic receives around 1,000 patients on a daily basis, the executive said.

Liu Liang, a nurse from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University assisted doctors to save 4 critical patients from 0:00 to 4:00 am, Jan. 29. They were in 5 protective suits each to draw blood, complete blood gas analysis and give injections.

After a short break, Liu continued her shift from 16:00 to 20:00. “Every trivial move becomes difficult under the thick protective suits, and sweats have soaked my clothes after working four hours non-stop,” Liu said.

Days after arriving at the First People's Hospital of Jiangxia, Wuhan, the voice of Sun Liqun, leader of the assisting medical team from eastern China’s Jiangsu province started becoming hoarse. The deputy director of ICU at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University always has lunch at 2:00 p.m., as she has to see the patients in the wards every morning with local doctors and make treatment plans. She always softens her lunch with water when the food gets cold.

“When a fighter is down, we have numerous coming up, standing their grounds and embracing unknown challenges.” That is what Huang Yanqing, a nurse from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University who is now assisting the ICU at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital wrote in her notebook after seeing a determined look in the eyes of an infected Wuhan doctor.