THERE are many reasons to look back at 2020, but this year is likely to be remembered for just one thing: the COVID-19 pandemic. There are more than 79 million confirmed COVID-19 cases globally, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO). How has the world responded to the pandemic? Where the two worlds meet At the early stage of the pandemic, Italy was the hardest-hit country in Europe. Doctors were eager to learn from China’s experience. “Can we ask you to write down which kind of mask and protection suits you wear in the intensive care unit and in the ward?” asked Dr. Enrico Ammirati with Niguarda Hospital in Milan during a teleconference. They wanted to know how they can protect medical staff, and their Chinese colleagues were happy to share the knowledge they accumulated from their own experience dealing with the virus. “We are medical workers at the front line who have a lot to share. I think I have the obligation to share what I’ve learned with doctors around the globe,” said Zhou Ning, a physician at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei Province. The story of Wuhan The first coronavirus cases in China emerged in Wuhan. In an effort to curb the spread of the then little-known virus, the city was locked down at 10:00 a.m. on January 23, just one day before the Chinese New Year’s Eve. It was a hard decision but fast action was imperative. Doctors and nurses worked non-stop to save lives as Wuhan residents did their part to keep the city running.
Their sacrifices were not in vain. The drastic measures proved to be effective. The number of new patients in China continued to decrease. But a new challenge was ahead as the country needed to prepare for a rise in cases originating from overseas. Viruses do not respect borders and COVID-19 was unknown and with obscure ways of transmission. But China’s experience meant other countries didn’t have to start their battles from scratch, without knowledge or understanding. The SARS lesson A global public health problem needs an international solution. No one can stand alone. China understands this because China was once alone. In 2003, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, broke out in China. First Guangdong and Beijing, then the world. There were over 8,000 confirmed cases and 774 deaths. At the time, China’s public health system was still being built. The economy was growing rapidly. But the country had almost no experience in handling such a public health emergency. The authorities were slow to respond and the process of information exchange was frustrating. It took more than three months for the government to work with the WHO and disclose all cases. And the public wasn’t fully aware of how to protect themselves from the deadly virus. – CGTN
