— Claire ‘Yanjing’ Du”, from the trenches against Coronavirus in China!
(Published, without permission, but with gratitude, for your courage.)
“The battle against the novel coronavirus in China is coming to a closure soon. Things are calming down significantly now and we expect to fully end the battle by the end of April. We for sure are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I know some of you might start to get worried as the virus is slowly coming to the US. I’m here to share my experiences and knowledge to hopefully shed light and help you all remain calm and positive.
We in China on the ground went through a full circle from being super positive (1/23–26) — getting worried (1/27–1/30) — fully desperate and hopeless (1/31–2/5) — feeling better (2/6–2/15) — calm and confident again (2/16 to present). Our mood swing and anxiety was triggered by a few factors: 1) we had no idea if the data presented by the government is reliable and real. 2) we don’t know how fatal this virus is. 3) we weren’t sure how our central and local governments would handle it, for there were signs of information hiding and delay and corruption. 4) this crisis caused significant damage to our economy so we didn’t know how long it would drag on.
Now as we are at the end tail of this battle, my understanding and advice to you all is:
1. This virus is highly contagious. So don’t take it lightly. It’s more contagious than SARS and the virus can survive on surfaces up to 5 days. do not go to crowded gatherings and avoid public events and public transportation. Wear masks and goggles if possible, because the virus can get to your body through nose, mouth and eyes. Wash hands frequently!
2. The death rate of the virus isn’t as high, luckily. On average, it’s about 1.5%. The death rate in Wuhan was high (5%) precisely because of the lack of sufficient medical staff and supplies (no country in the world can handle 70,000 infected patients all at once) as well as the lack of knowledge about the virus in the beginning. But the death rate of the virus outside Wuhan is about 0.5%. In my hometown Changsha, which is 200 miles away from Wuhan, we have 4 death cases out of 1016 sick cases. Most of the symptoms are similar to influenza, which contains coughing and high fever.
3. The vaccines are being developed and tested on human clinical trials. It is expected to take another few months before the right vaccine to come out. The medicine Remdesivir from GILEAD has been recognized by the WHO as most effective to fight the virus, and the human testing result from China will come out before end of April.
4. China is an authoritarian regime, and that’s why we are able to mobilize all resources to do what we did to win this battle without much partisan disputes or challenges. (But of course there were internal power politics within the party and that’s a separate story.) I don’t think any other countries can really replicate our experiences, but a unified effort by every sector and everyone in society in a fully collaborative and supportive manner is key to success.
In conclusion, the virus isn’t so fatal but it does cause other organs to stop functioning so if possible, I’d suggest everyone stay cautious before the vaccine and medication comes out in 2 months. But don’t lose hope. We did a full rehearsal for the rest of the world. If we could do it, under such severe circumstances of infinite fear and anxiety without much knowledge, and managed to survive, I am sure you all can fight and win this battle too!
Key words: wear masks and goggles, do not go out if possible, wash hands and keep germs out of your house, work out, eat well and sleep well to improve your immune system, and cherish every beautiful moment in your life with your loved ones and your family!
Love unites, fights and heals!
— Claire ‘Yanjing’ Du”
