In the early days of the new crown epidemic in 2020, Hong Kong people thought of the SARS battle in 2003 and worried that darkness would come again.
Xu Shuchang, a consultant to the government and a chair professor of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at CUHK, pointed out that in 2003, Prince of Wales Hospital in Shatin also admitted SARS patients, describing it as "a stick in the dark, you don't know the enemy is on your side".
The unknown disease, coupled with the fact that nearly 40% of the medical staff in the medical department of Weiyuan Hospital was infected, put him under extreme psychological pressure.
This century, when the epidemic strikes again, Xu Shuchang has long expected that it will not end in half a year like SARS, and he is also mentally prepared to deal with this "protracted war".
After two years of fighting the epidemic, the citizens may already be "fatigued by the epidemic," but Xu Shuchang has never let up.
He pointed out that he will pay attention to the latest development of the epidemic every day, and will also spend time reading medical literature to keep abreast of the latest information on the epidemic.
While working hard for the epidemic, a group of experts is often criticized. Xu Shuchang consciously was misunderstood by the public: "The public misunderstood that we will participate in everything we talk about, which is a beautiful misunderstanding." However, he also understands that the epidemic is still going on. For a long time, it is human nature for citizens to suffer from "anti-epidemic fatigue". I understand that citizens will have grievances against the government and experts.
[Part 4 of a series of reports on the second anniversary of the anti-epidemic]
Further reading:
Two years of anti-epidemic | The fifth wave of Omicron and Delta attacked by the fall of foreign defense input (a review of the article)
Anti-epidemic for two years｜The first unidentified case was found to belong to a group of flight attendants.
Anti-epidemic for two years | Omicron is expected to be like a flu in the future. Kong Fanyi: I have seen the light at the end of the tunnel
In January 2020, the novel coronavirus hit Hong Kong.
The Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin has also received confirmed patients, so Xu Shuchang has the opportunity to come into contact with the second confirmed new coronavirus patient in Hong Kong.
(Photo by Liang Pengwei)
Checking with the second confirmed patient in Hong Kong The worsening condition of the patient gave him a new clinical understanding of the new crown
In January 2020, the novel coronavirus hit Hong Kong.
The Prince of Wales Hospital in Shatin has received confirmed patients, so Xu Shuchang has the opportunity to come into contact with the second confirmed patient in Hong Kong.
Recalling the patient's condition at the time, Xu pointed out that the patient returned to Hong Kong after returning to Wuhan to visit relatives. He first went to the A&E department on January 19. He said at the time that he felt "good" but had no fever. Go to the hospital again.
The patient returned to the emergency room two days later. He also had no fever, but a small white shadow began to appear in his lungs. The hospital immediately arranged for him to be admitted to the hospital for isolation and treatment.
During his stay in hospital, the patient remained in stable condition and was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital for further treatment.
Before leaving the Weiyuan Hospital, Xu Shuchang went to the negative pressure ward to visit the patient, and drew blood and examined him.
He described that the patient was able to stand and talk to him and pack his luggage at the time, but a few days after the transfer, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he needed a throat intubation.
Although the patient was finally able to recover and be discharged from the hospital, this experience gave Xu Shuchang a new clinical understanding of the new coronavirus.
At the beginning of the epidemic, he was invited by Zhong Nanshan to hold a meeting in Guangzhou. The doctor's sense of mission called him to be invited without hesitation.
In the same year, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, he was invited by Zhong Nanshan, an expert on epidemic prevention in the Mainland, to hold a meeting in Guangzhou.
Zhong Nanshan revealed to him at the time that samples from nearly 1,000 cases in 30 provinces and cities across the country were collected.
Although there was an outbreak in the mainland at that time, Xu Shuchang was also somewhat worried, but he always believed that the opportunity was rare. Through analysis and understanding of the clinical symptoms, blood test results and lung films of patients with new coronary pneumonia, it would be helpful to the epidemic in Hong Kong.
His sense of mission as a medical staff made him decide to accept the invitation without hesitation.
He said with a smile that this experience was very special. Originally, Guangzhou, which was often crowded with people, had very few people: "I used to go to the mainland for a meeting, and when someone picked you up, I had to go to the side of the car. It was very fast to pass the border, and there was no traffic jam." That's it. After the meeting, he learned that the diagnosis of the new crown virus does not necessarily cause a fever. After returning to Hong Kong, he reminded the government and the public not to leak invisible patients.
Walking on the front line of the epidemic is not the first time to participate in the WHO investigation team many times
It is not the first time that Xu Shuchang has been at the forefront of the epidemic. H5N1 broke out in Vietnam in 2004 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome broke out in South Korea in 2015. He was not afraid of the epidemic and participated in the WHO investigation team.
Although the risk is high, he believes that he has experience in dealing with epidemics in the past and takes protective measures: "I won't be so susceptible to infection."
▼On January 21, residents of Yat Kwai House in Kwai Chung Village were banned from their feet and quarantined on the first night of falling down for testing▼
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Memories of SARS are like sticks in the dark, the new crown epidemic is a protracted war
But to talk about the most profound one, we must go back to SARS in 2003.
Xu Shuchang described that at that time, SARS was like "hitting a stick in the dark, you don't know the enemy is on the side." The unknown disease, coupled with the fact that nearly 40% of the medical staff in the hospital's medical department was infected, put him under incomparable psychological pressure.
He described that the ward at that time was like a large tennis court, with a nurse station in the middle and beds placed on the left and right sides. It was not as good as the current situation where every patient can basically be shunted to an isolated negative pressure ward.
SARS is like a stick in the dark. You don't know where the enemy is. The unknown disease and nearly 40% of the medical staff in the medical department of Weiyuan Hospital have been infected, so they have to bear incomparable psychological pressure... This epidemic is still unknown. Virus-mediated animals, coupled with the rapid spread of the virus in a short period of time, are different from those of SARS. There is no early warning, and I believe it will be a protracted war.
Xu Shuchang, Consultant to Government Experts and Chair Professor of Respiratory System at CUHK
When the new crown epidemic hits Hong Kong, it may be a re-emergence of darkness for the citizens, but Xu Shuchang admitted that in the early stage of the epidemic, it is not expected that it will end in half a year like SARS.
During the all-cause SARS period, some experts discovered that the SARS intermediary animal was a civet cat, and the mainland banned after-sale services from being admitted to the hospital one after another. The chain of transmission has been cut off.
On the other hand, in the current epidemic, the mediator of the virus is still unknown, and the virus spreads rapidly in a short period of time, which is different from the situation of SARS. Therefore, "it is not optimistic in itself", and it is believed that it will be a protracted battle.
▼On January 14, the government announced that the ban on dine-in in the evening market was extended to February 3 on the third day of the new year▼
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Two years after the epidemic, the public is now "fatigue against the epidemic", and the public in the early stage of the fifth wave is even more "unaware"
The epidemic lasted for two years, and Xu Shuchang noticed that the public began to experience "anti-epidemic fatigue": "The first two waves of citizens cooperated well and cooperated with the government's work from home and dine-in bans, but the third wave began to show anti-epidemic fatigue, which led to a cluster of restaurants. group, and dance groups appeared in the fourth wave.”
He believes that the government maintains dynamic "zero" measures in order to clear customs, but it has not relaxed social distancing measures during the period from the fourth wave of the epidemic to the fifth wave with no local cases, which intensifies the "fatigue" of the public.
In the early days of the fifth wave of the epidemic, Xu Shuchang bluntly said that the public "doesn't know the shock". Despite the government's efforts to increase the vaccination rate, the public also "go for an injection when there is a real case, so it is not easy for the (government) to deal with the epidemic."
The first two waves of citizens cooperated well and cooperated with the government’s work-from-home and dine-in ban, but the third wave began to experience anti-epidemic fatigue; there were no local cases between the fourth and fifth waves, but social distancing measures were not relaxed, which made citizens Fatigue Accelerated Government Expert Advisor, Chair Professor of Respiratory System at CUHK, Xu Shuchang
Xu Shuchang, who worked hard for the epidemic but was criticized by the public: the public misunderstood the identity of the expert
As a government expert advisor, Xu Shuchang will pay attention to the latest developments of the epidemic every day, and will also spend time reading medical literature to keep abreast of the latest information on the epidemic.
While working hard for the epidemic, he was often criticized. He felt that he was misunderstood by the public, "Many citizens mistakenly claim to be an expert. In fact, we are a professor at a university, doing clinical work, teaching, and administration. The Chief Executive will call when necessary. We hold meetings, and we compare opinions for the first two or three hours, after which officials accept all opinions, and we are not involved in daily operations.”
A lot of citizens mistake their status as experts. In fact, we are a professor at a university. We are clinical, teaching, and administrative. When necessary, the Chief Executive will call us for a meeting, and we are not involved in daily operations.
Citizens have the illusion that we (experts) will participate in everything that we (experts) say, which is a beautiful misunderstanding.
Xu Shuchang, Consultant to Government Experts and Chair Professor of Respiratory System at CUHK
Anti-epidemic fatigue people's common understanding has grievances against experts Xu Shuchang: I believe that public criticism is of a venting nature
Xu Shuchang revealed that he had received e-mails of accusations many times in the past, and even some sports coaches blamed him for not being able to start work due to the tightening of social distancing measures. Xu Shuchang said helplessly: "The public has the illusion that we will participate in everything when we talk about things. Beautiful misunderstanding." But he also understands that the epidemic lasts for a long time, and it is human nature for the public to have "fatigue against the epidemic".
+4
It is expected that the government will learn the lessons of the fifth wave and be more careful about the arrangements for those exempted from quarantine
Although the arrangements for those exempted from quarantine have been discussed many times in the committee, the fifth wave of the epidemic was once again caused by those exempted from quarantine.
Xu Shuchang emphasized that in the past it was only for consultation, and he understood that government departments had their own considerations when implementing measures. At that time, they believed too much that Cathay Pacific could achieve closed-loop management, which led to the outbreak of this new wave of epidemics.
In addition to the local epidemic, Xu Shuchang also went to the mainland to participate in customs clearance docking meetings in March and September last year. Although the authorities were discussing the circuit breaker mechanism and did not invite him to attend again, he pointed to two meetings. The post-meeting mainly involved policy and technical issues and did not consider it necessary to participate.
Although there is currently no deadline for customs clearance, he is also convinced that the preparation efforts in the past will not be wasted. The epidemic is under control, and customs clearance is just around the corner.
Although new oral medicines such as Pfizer are now available, Xu Shuchang said that even if oral medicines can contain the virus's reproductive enzymes and prevent the virus from multiplying, it needs to be taken within five days of the onset of the patient's disease to reduce the hospital admission rate by 90%; "Visit is better than treatment." In addition, Hong Kong will arrange hospitalization even if patients are asymptomatic. Therefore, new drugs will not help Hong Kong's epidemic situation very much. In the long run, the vaccination rate still needs to be increased.
Anti-epidemic for two years | Expect the future of Omicron to be like flu Five waves of Omicron and Delta attack (a review of the article)
