weekly
Written by: Deng Feng
2020-02-03 16:30
Last updated: 2020-02-03 16:36If time can be reversed, it is best to go back to December 8, 2019, the day when Wuhan was the first to discover patients with unexplained pneumonia, why is it so frightening now? I believe this is a sigh that almost everyone will send out when talking about the new coronavirus in 2019. This is especially true for me who lives in Huanggang, Hubei, and has moved to Wuhan in recent years.
As Wuhan pneumonia has spread to all parts of China and some overseas regions, the number of confirmed cases far exceeds SARS in 2003, and it was listed by the World Health Organization as an "international public health emergency". The earliest thing in my mind about Wuhan pneumonia His memory was a public announcement at the end of last year by the Wuhan Municipal Health and Health Committee (Will Health Commission). At that time, the Wuhan Municipal Health and Medical Committee disclosed for the first time that "27 cases have been found, of which 7 are in serious condition, and the remaining cases are stable and controllable, and 2 cases are expected to be discharged in the near future". Although I happened to read the "Plague" by French writer Albert Camus at that time, I was amazed that Camus was blindly optimistic and self-righteous about human beings in the face of the epidemic, but he did not associate it with the Wuhan unknown pneumonia case. . This is because, like most people, I lack awareness of the terrible seriousness of unknown diseases. I mistakenly believe that in today's China, where medical technology is highly developed and has SARS treatment experience, 27 cases of unknown pneumonia are not worth mentioning.
The first case in Wuhan came from the South China Seafood Market. (AFP)
Never take it for granted
Moreover, at that time, the Wuhan Municipal Health and Health Commission made it clear that "no obvious human-to-human transmission was found, and no medical staff infection was found", which made people lose their vigilance. Wuhan is also the "medical capital" of central China. Its medical resources and level are first-rate in the country. There is a Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with the reputation of "aircraft carrier" in the area of virus research. In this blind optimism, my friends and I also discussed with pleasure the gatherings in Wuhan and Huanggang during the Spring Festival holiday.
Later, although some Hong Kong scholars reminded me that Wuhan pneumonia may be serious, I also learned from the news that the Hong Kong government immediately launched a serious emergency public health measure on January 4, but many people in Hubei, including me, were generally not at all. care. When I informed a friend who worked at the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, especially the Hong Kong and Taiwan society, about the concern and response to unknown pneumonia, the other side also advised me to remain calm. At that time, the statement made by Wuhan Health and Medical Commission about unexplained pneumonia was "controllable and preventable." At the most, a sentence "can not rule out the possibility of limited person-to-person transmission, and the risk of continuous person-to-person transmission is low." The first working groups and expert groups of the National Health Commission that had visited Wuhan at the time did not give any warning. More importantly, no new confirmed cases were reported from January 5th to 16th in the continuous notifications of new coronavirus infection pneumonia issued by the Wuhan Municipal Health and Health Commission. At the time, I didn't realize that this period coincided with the local "two sessions" held in Hubei and Wuhan. Some local officials might deliberately create a safe and peaceful social atmosphere.
Zhong Nanshan disclosed the key information about the transmission of pneumonia in Wuhan, the infection of multiple medical personnel, and the spread of the epidemic, and officially revealed the truth of the epidemic in Wuhan. (Profile picture)
It was not until the early morning of January 20th that the Wuhan Municipal Health and Medical Committee disclosed that 136 new cases had been added in the past two days. My classmates in Wuhan and I realized the seriousness and immediately cancelled the meeting in Wuhan. That night, he went to Wuhan temporarily to investigate the first SARS fighter and unknown respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan in Wuhan to publicly disclose the key information of Wuhan pneumonia capable person-to-person transmission, multiple medical staff infections, and the epidemic is spreading. , Officially revealed the truth about the Wuhan epidemic. Almost at the same time, President Xi Jinping and State Council Premier Li Keqiang successively issued instructions for Wuhan pneumonia, and the State Council convened a meeting on Wuhan pneumonia. At this point, the information about Wuhan pneumonia has been fully publicized, and the number of confirmed and suspected cases has increased dramatically. And the mentality of my Wuhan classmates and I changed from not paying attention and taking it seriously to panic, panic and fear of being infected.
Fang Fang, the winner of the Lu Xun Literature Award and the former chairman of the Hubei Writers Association, said in an interview with the media recently: "The days when Wuhan people are most nervous, flustered and frightened have passed." I agree with her, but I would rather use a roller coaster Describe the psychological changes of those around you. As Zhong Nanshan revealed the truth of the epidemic, the number of cases notified by the Wuhan Municipal Health and Health Commission increased sharply, and the students in Wuhan could no longer calm down and fell into panic and anxiety.
Too many classmates who thought they were very strong and courageous have become extremely vulnerable to the epidemic. "I have a fever since I came back from Wuhan, and I continue to have fever. I still have chest tightness and sore throat. Will I be infected?" "It's over. I have a lot of symptoms associated with the new coronavirus." ... Similar words are similar. Tian frequently appears in classmates' mouths. They all returned to Wuhan from Wuhan or had contact with Wuhan people, who happened to catch colds in the winter when the flu was prevalent, and became sensitive, anxious and panic. At first, they frequently took their body temperature based on whether they had a fever, and once they were abnormal, they worried about whether they were infected. Even if the body temperature is normal, when you see the news that there is asymptomatic infection, you immediately become a cup and snake, fearing that you are the unfortunate asymptomatic infection. It wasn't until a few days passed that everyone came out of the shadow of panic and anxiety. Such psychological changes may be the normal performance of humans in the face of unknown diseases. The sudden spread of the virus is unavoidable and panic, but you can think about it the other way round, life will still pass, as long as you have a good sense of protection, you will not be easily infected. As Camus said in the Plague, "People should maintain confidence at all times, but this should be based on the premise of great importance."
On January 23, Wuhan "closed the city" and closed public transportation and the airport train station. (Profile picture / surging news)
Officials with inescapable responsibility
After the large-scale outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, my classmates in Hubei, fellow villagers, and friends in the WeChat circle of friends, they may belong to different political spectrums, or they do not care about current affairs at all, or they are pro-system civil servants, but they all have One consensus is that they are deeply dissatisfied with the relevant officials in Hubei and Wuhan and the national health management department. This dissatisfaction is similar to the dissatisfaction of Hong Kong people against the government in the wake of the amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, except that there is no "anti-China" sentiment.
Looking at the spread of Wuhan pneumonia, if Wuhan Municipal Government and the National Health and Medical Commission can disclose information in the first time and take decisive measures, why not today. Unfortunately, the Wuhan Municipal Government and the National Health and Medical Commission not only missed the best time, but also concealed the truth of the epidemic, treating eight doctors in the WeChat group to remind people of unknown pneumonia as rumors. Experts from the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not disclose the truth about the human-to-human transmission of Wuhan pneumonia in time, but were busy publishing papers in top medical journals overseas.
What's even more unbearable for the public is that the main officials in Hubei Province and Wuhan City were sloppy and helpless when coping with the epidemic, and coordinated and coordinated the chaos. For example, when Governor Wang Xiaodong of Wuhan closed the city, he promised “material supplies and market supply are sufficient”. As a result, news of material shortages in Wuhan and even the entire Hubei Province quickly spread, especially the serious shortage of medical supplies, including Wuhan City. A large number of hospitals, including the top three hospitals, frequently appeared in emergency medical supplies. What is particularly outrageous is that after many hospitals in Wuhan and even Hubei Province sent information to the outside for help, a large amount of donated materials from various places were not released in time due to the incompetence and inefficiency of the Red Cross and other departments. In the case of Wuhan pneumonia being so serious, the Baibuting community in Jiang'an District, Wuhan, still held a "Wanjia Banquet" with more than 40,000 families on January 18. The poor awareness of protection and the government's inaction have caused a worldwide uproar. . Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, stated publicly: "Wuhan and the state health administration are responsible for this."
A number of cases of new coronavirus pneumonia infections have been reported in many provinces and cities in the Mainland, and many medical staff have been exhausted. The picture shows the medical staff of Wuhan Hospital receiving patients. (Profile picture / China News Agency)
Backward Epidemic Prevention
If there is no epidemic, my classmates and I will hardly imagine that Wuhan, the largest city in central China and the top 10 nationwide in terms of comprehensive strength, has so many fatal shortcomings in epidemic prevention and control. This is still the case in Wuhan, when most parts of China are facing an epidemic, they will be even more vulnerable. My hometown, Huanggang, is more than two hours' drive from Wuhan. The severity of the current epidemic is second only to Wuhan nationwide.
Compared with Wuhan, Huanggang's medical conditions are extremely backward, and medical resources are seriously inadequate. The detection conditions of new coronaviruses are very poor. The general public, especially rural residents and elderly residents, are generally weaker in health protection awareness, lack good health habits, and are sick. Often not paying enough attention to it. Take Hunchun County, Huanggang City, for example, I returned to my hometown from a business trip on January 21, and found that few people from the county seat to the towns and towns wore masks. Everyday people came and went on the streets, and they were very noisy. And New Year's Day is everywhere, and the risk of infection is high. Seeing the increasing number of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, my classmates and I really could n’t keep up with the situation in my hometown. I volunteered to form a voluntary team to repeatedly explain the severity of pneumonia to my family members. I persuaded village cadres to help remind and urge the residents of the village. Even so, there are still many die-hards in my hometown who don't wear masks and play Mahjong all day.
The Huanggang epidemic adjacent to Wuhan was also severe. The city's "Xiaotangshan Hospital" was officially opened. The first patients were transferred to the hospital for treatment that night. (Online picture)
In the past few decades, China's economy has achieved tremendous development and become the second largest economy in the world. However, the pneumonia epidemic in Wuhan has exposed the weak bottom of the country's rise, reflecting the lazy and incompetent officials under the bright coat of the country's rise, cumbersome and inefficient approval. Lack of programs and media supervision roles and a backward epidemic prevention system. This also confirms that China is still a developing country, and there are still too many shortcomings that need to be filled in governance capacity and governance system.
Just like countless epidemics in human society in the past, under the current emergency general mobilization in China, Wuhan pneumonia will eventually pass and become future knowledge and memory. As Camus said, knowledge and memory are "the greatest lesson and experience of a disaster for people." "We should not easily let go of the pains and lessons that have been experienced in governance. We must try our best to avoid it in the next disaster. Rather than repeating the same mistakes again and again. "I hope that after the battle of pneumonia in Wuhan, the country can painstakingly establish a modern epidemic prevention system and let the tragedy repeat itself.
related articles:
[Wuhan pneumonia] Empathy is more important than finger pointing
[Wuhan Pneumonia] Who is responsible for the delayed treatment of the epidemic? Internal media sword refers to CDC and Wuhan officials
[Wuhan Pneumonia] The CDC paper outrages the distance between the epidemic area and the center
The above was published in the 199th issue of "Hong Kong 01" weekly report (February 3, 2020) "Wuhan epidemic of a Hubei man".
More weekly articles: [01 Weekly Page]
"Hong Kong 01" Weekly is available at major newsstands, OK convenience stores and Vango convenience stores. You can also click here to subscribe to the weekly newspaper to read more in-depth reports.
Wuhan Pneumonia Wuhan Hubei 01 Weekly