Zhang Lei is ICU Director of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University(CQMU), and a member of Chongqing's first medical team to support Hubei. Now, he is in charge of the intensive care wards on the first floor of Xiaogan Central Hospital. His serious attitude and excellent professional skills have been highly recognized by local peers and patients.

Submit application and take the lead in entering the "contaminated zone"

Zhang Lei, ICU Director of the Third Affiliated Hospital of CQMU, submitted the application without hesitation after the outbreak of COVID-19. He is an intensive care expert who has been a doctor for more than 20 years, joined the army for 21 years and the Communist Party of China for 19 years. After his arrival in Hubei, Zhang Lei has served as Deputy Secretary of the Temporary Party Branch of Intensive Care Team at Xiaogan Central Hospital, the person in charge of the Medical Team Leader of his floor and the first person responsible for the entire medical team. He takes the lead in the front line and brings the treatment of critical patients quickly into a new state.

In the beginning, the Intensive Care Team encountered some difficulties. Local medical staff were overstrained; protective equipment was short; the protection conditions were poor. These objective conditions frightened most team members, but if they didn't enter, lots of patients would be unattended for the time being. At that moment, Zhang Lei was the first doctor to submit the application for entering the contaminated zone, regardless of his safety. At the same time, he actively found solutions and tried to communicate with the hospital. Eventually, adequate qualified protective equipment was provided half an hour before he entered the contaminated zone. The problem was solved timely.

After his arrival in Xiaogan, Zhang Lei worked for consecutive 14 days. Every day, he made the rounds of the wards with his team and adjusted treatment plans according to patients' states. "I am armed to the teeth, but when I went to the wards, patients said, they know my voice and they are reassured. I'm glad to be able to make the patients feel secure." Zhang Lei said. In addition, he has made the rounds of visits to many places like Hanchuan for the diagnosis guidance, help surrounding hospitals find out the part of their work that could be improved and formulate tailored measures. "We have received many letters of thanks written by the patients we treated before, in which they expressed their gratitude to all the members of Chongqing Medical Team for being given a 'second life'. These words will encourage us to continue to resolutely fight the battle of epidemic prevention and control with firmer confidence, stronger will, and more decisive measures." said Zhang, adding that when members took their first shift, nearly 30 out of the first batch of critical patients they had been in charge of had been discharged from hospital.

Inform the family just one day before his departure for Hubei

When Zhang Lei had arrived in Xiaogan and devoted himself to the strained front-line work, others got to know that he informed his family about participating in the front-line work in Hubei just one day before his departure. "My mother-in-law did not want me to work at the front line at all at first, and she even said that she'd rather I quit my job than go to the front line." Zhang Lei said, "She concerns me a lot."

After being told my departure, my wife, worried as she was, replied through WeChat, "I know, in the face of the epidemic, you choose to work at the front line bravely and contribute to the battle with all what you can do because you want to fulfill your responsibilities and realize your life value, which is very meaningful and which makes me very proud. Take good care of yourself! I believe, you and our medics will behave like soldiers, who always face death unflinchingly and march forward courageously in the battlefield, overwhelming all difficulties and challenges in the battle of epidemic prevention and control and finally defeating the virus! May you come back safe and sound! Although I am still worried about you, I believe you can accomplish your missions as a doctor and you are able to take good care of yourself!"

After reading the message with sincere love and care from his wife, Zhang Lei packed his luggage and left for Hubei as a member of the first Medical Team of Chongqing to support Hubei at the night of January 26 when was also the 76-year-old birthday of his mother living in his hometown far away from him. His mother does not know that he is working at the front line yet.