Risking no lives, China's anti-virus approach shows nation's priority

Frontline workers

Medics, disease control and prevention workers, police officers, community workers, and volunteers countrywide went all out in the frontlines to battle the virus.

Jiangsu mobilized more than 4,000 medical workers and thousands of volunteers and community workers to deter the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Yangzhou city, the latest hotspot for the new infections in Jiangsu, launched multiple rounds of massive nucleic acid testings.

As of Sunday, Jiangsu reported 802 locally confirmed cases, including 235 cases in Nanjing, the provincial capital, and 552 cases in Yangzhou. According to statistics, patients aged under 14 accounted for 10.1 percent, with the youngest four months old. Elderly patients accounted for 32.7 percent, with the eldest patient aged 91.

Yangzhou reported six and three locally confirmed cases on Sunday and Monday, respectively, according to the provincial health commission.

"The new cases are mostly concentrated in the group under control measures, indicating that the spread of the virus is under control to some extent," said Zhang Jinhong, deputy head of the Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission.

The province mobilized more than 3,000 medical workers to help with massive nucleic acid testings in Yangzhou, with a permanent population of 4.55 million.

"We spared no effort to treat every patient," said Yang Yi, an intensive care expert with Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University in Nanjing. Yang added that some critically ill patients were getting better with the introduction of ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines.

Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, also reported new local infections among several migrant workers. Within five days, over 11.28 million residents in the megacity had been tested thanks to the efforts of over 28,000 medical workers in more than 2,800 sampling sites, the municipal government said.

"We worked in the laboratory around the clock to ensure reliable and timely test results," said Shao Lihua, director of the PCR laboratory of the KingMed Diagnostics in Wuhan. His department tested up to 28,000 nucleic acid samples in a single day.

Having experienced the epidemic outbreak last year, Shao said what impressed him most was that the country regards protecting people and their lives as its top priority.

Wuhan organized 21 medical experts covering respiratory, critical medicine, infection, iconography, and other disciplines, to provide tailored treatment for all COVID-19 patients, said Huang Chaolin, director of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital.

In Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, community workers provided door-to-door nucleic acid testing and disinfection services in neighborhoods under closed-off management. Volunteers delivered living necessities and medicine for residents every day. On Aug 13, the city cleared its medium and high-risk areas.