Chinese City’s Frontline Stories Against COVID-19

Chongqing- A re-emerging COVID-19 epidemic has hit this vibrant and young university town in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality, where the first reported local cases appeared on March 12 in the current epidemic outbreak. 

The epidemic has a crippling effect on ordinary people, without exception. However, people from all walks of life work together, shouldering social responsibilities to combat the epidemic in their own way. 

Medical staff 

The situation has grown complicated for the University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University since they received the first positive test results for the local outbreak of COVID-19. 

The hospital only took five days from the complete suspension of outpatient medical services to the end of the closure control management. 

In such a short time, the hospital makes every effort to maintain a good condition in environmental disinfection, sanitation, and materials supplies.

General treatment was not put on hold yet as the hospital's lockdown and the medical diagnosis of patients were carried out orderly during the closure. 

Medical workers are considered the heroes who combat the epidemic at the frontline. Lv Zhao, Vice President of Hangu Town Health Center, received a new task during the special period that served as the head of a centralized medical observation site in the university town. 

Lv and his team started working as soon as they arrived. The station welcomed quarantine personnel in the wee hours of the second day after their arrival.

The vast majority of the quarantined were students. "We quickly set up a support team to meet their individual needs," Lv said. "We established a communication group in Wechat and invited counselors into the group to calm everyone down."

"We were very touched and motivated by the students' appreciation for us," said Lv. 

Epidemiological investigation 

The epidemiological investigation is an essential part of epidemic prevention work and is the key to epidemic control. 

Zhou Lingbing, leader of the epidemiological investigation team, explained that it is necessary to trace the source of the virus and the follow-up work. 

"In simple terms, it is important for us to understand where the virus comes from and where it goes," said Zhou. 

"Trying to shorten the time from onset to isolation of the patient, as to minimize the crippling effect to society, is what the most conducive to controlling the epidemic," he continued.

After arriving at the primary scene on the first day of reported local cases, the epidemiological investigation team led by Zhou was committed to their jobs. 

The team was assigned to respond to the epidemic quickly. In the early morning of the next day, they sorted out the first qualified epidemiological survey of this current outbreak. 

"As we always have been working in the room, I was so busy even that I didn't know whether it was day or night," Zhou said. "But it's always important to keep a clear head at all times no matter how hard it was."

Due to the need to investigate the actions' trajectory many days ago, it is difficult for ordinary people to recall clearly. This asks every team personnel to repeatedly confirm every detail and find out the key information to cut off the disease transmission chain. 

The epidemiological investigation personnel should make telephone contact with positive patients and close contacts right away, said Zhou. 

Based on all information collected, the team traced the infection source to sort out the close and sub-close contact list and finally organized it into a formal epidemiological survey. 

In addition, Zhou reminded us that cooperating with epidemiological investigation is everyone's obligation. If citizens receive a call from the center or a community transfer, they should take the initiative to provide personal information truthfully and accurately in detail.