Letter From Wuhan-Under the dark clouds of 2019-nCoV

 
            -Huang Yujie
The story starts from a kind of wild bird named rhinolophine. In the December of 2019, several citizens in Wuhan were diagnosed as virus-infected pneumonia. In the beginning, people didn’t know much about the virus, the patients got treatment in different hospitals in Wuhan. Some recovered, some died, and most of them had connection with a Whole-sale seafood market in Hankou District of Wuhan. With time passed by, some close-contacted medical workers and family members exposed to have the same symptom, fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.

On Jan. 20th 2020, Dr. Zhong Nanshan appeared in Wuhan, he was a great hero in SARS, 2003. On seeing the quick spread of disease, he announced with tears: “It’s novel corona virus (2019-nCoV), has human to human transmission.” It’s hardly to believe in the past one month, the public haven’t realized horror of the disease, as well as the government: From Jan. 6th to Jan 17^th, Wuhan Municipal government and Hubei provincial government had successfully held the Two Session meeting. On Jan 18^th, 40.000 families in Baibuting Community got together to share more than 10.000 dishes to welcome the New Year. Eight medical workers did remind the public the danger of the disease in Internet, but they failed, even be worn by the excuse of spreading the rumors to public. The disease seems to have been wickedly designed to strike at a perfect time— right before Spring festival—the largest annual immigration season in China. By the day Dr. Zhong Nanshan arrived in Wuhan, totally there were 291 confirmed cases (Hubei 270) and 54 suspected cases (Hubei 11). The virus defies any border; know no gender, race, region, polity or ideology, target to all humans.
The announcement was a bell, woke up everyone to start the battle against the disease. The government departments had meeting day and night to think about the solutions. Medical scientists did experiments day and night to discover the method of cure, the mass media broadcasted day and night to let the public know more about the disease and ask them wear mask. Very soon, the public transportation in Wuhan stopped: railway, airline, high-speed way, bus, metro, boat. To relieve the commercial loss of public, for passengers who had already booked the ticket can get all their money back. With the stop of transportation, Wuhan, a big commercial city with 14 million populations, became an “empty city.” Shopping malls, Factories, companies, restaurants – all closed. Citizens quarantine themselves at home, many citizens curse the people who had eaten rhinolophine & other wild animals, to die. I believe, the majority Chinese people are same with me, we didn’t know rhinolophine before, we even didn’t know there was a so big market that did commercial business on wild animals for so many years before. However, when the disaster came, no one could escape.

Followed by the block of Wuhan city, other prefecture-level cities were also gradually closed. By 26^thJan 2020, all the cities in Hubei province were closed. As the epidemic transmitted so fast, and it has a 3 -14 days incubation period, we have to take this strict measure to prevent it’s further infections. Confirmed cases and suspected cases are more and more to be found in other provinces in China as well, Guangdong and Zhejiang are deeply hit because of more immigration from Wuhan. At the same time, WHO highlighted the epidemic and marked as PHOBIC. By the decision of WHO, world countries started to forbid the entry of Chinese people or Hubei people in different extent. Apart from losing hundreds of lives, thousands of hospitalized in agony, millions are deprived of spring festival fees, joy with kith and kin and the freedom to travel. Stock plunges indicate perils of growth slowdown as its economy struggles with other dogged uncertainties.
To be honest, I have no complain to any government stuff, no complain to any other country, to win the battle of 2019-nCoV, we accept and obey all the rigorous regulations, I believe all the sacrifices will come to end once the epidemic ends. Government combined with Construction Group completed the epidemic hospital ”Huoshen Shan” and “Leishen Shan” in 10 days to ensure supply of hospital, module hospital and some university, stadium has been adopted for same attempt. Supports and donations: doctors, soldiers, medical equipment, food supply, together with all nations’ concern, have been sent to Wuhan, the epidemic central city. Meanwhile, the global community has shown love and trust to Wuhan. Japan, Thailand, Nepal have donated medical masks or protective suits to Wuhan. Yet many more other countries extended greetings officially or spontaneously. With the support from the whole globe, the ‘bad luck’ of Wuhan is being translated into the ‘good fortune’ of the world.
 Like millions of families in Hubei province, today is the 15^th day for me and my family to be quarantined at home, stay with family for a long time without work is a good thing, but never expected to be in this way. Government staffs come to my home, take detail recordings of our health condition. Distribute facial mask, tell us we can wear mask to buy food supply in nearby located shop every few days. (other shops all closed) Luckily, in this hard period, the price kept in a balance relatively equal as usual. As far as I know, the food supply are from different channels: some are donated from Shandong, Shanxi and other provinces.  Some are from private charity organizations or commercial companies, such as Hanhong, Gao xiaosong, Ali BaBa and so on. Yesterday, there was good news; one city in Hubei will be supported by one province during this hard period. My city Shiyan, will be supplied by Shanxi Province, we don’t need to worry about food supply anymore. Few days before, I heard the sound of ambulance; it must be someone being taken to hospital. These few days, only the sound of louder-speaker could be heard, repeatedly announcing; ‘Stay at home, no out’. It should be a good sign.
The people in Wuhan supposed to live even harder. Officials announced that in Wuhan there are 14 million longtime-stay people, with 5 million left before Jan 23, there are 9 million staying. According to today’s update, 13603 confirmed case, 545 died cases. In fact, many people died without confirmed, so they are not even calculated. Hospital never enough, medical supply never enough, some patients died with whole family because they failed to get medical treatment immediately. Regardless of huge amount of donation and support, higher amount of the medical consumption, higher number of patients suspected & infected. I noticed many blogs or help information from internet, they post their information because they want, may be someone can see their post and provide assistance for the treatment. They just want to survive. It’s really hard to imagine how they hold on the great sufferings.
I’m still keeping myself at home, another quarantine period (14 days) need to go though, all members in my loved family are safe and healthy in physic, but we all get pain in mental indeed. The disease is like a devil, maybe one or two weeks climbing the peak, uncertain! Every day we read news, good or not, related with us or not! However, spring is coming, waiting for the win of the battle, waiting for the flower blooming.
 
Feb. 8^th. 2020