"Please don't travel to Wuhan unless it's absolutely necessary," Zhong Nanshan, a famous respiratory (呼吸科的) expert, reminded the public when the novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) first hit Wuhan. But despite the danger, he, 84, rushed on an overnight train to Wuhan to fight the disease.
Known as the hero who defeated SARS in 2003, Zhong's image and messages are flooding (遍布) social media. Many people say they "trust every word of Zhong". He has given Chinese people confidence in winning the battle.
A great doctor and honest scholar (学者)
Growing up in a family of doctors, Zhong lives by a simple motto (信条): save lives and always be honest. In 2003, when SARS hit China, he volunteered to treat patients and asked his colleagues (同事) to send their most serious cases to him. After months of work, his treatment plan for SARS was adopted (采纳) by China and then the whole world, saving thousands of lives.
Zhong is also known for being an honest scholar. In 2003, when authorities (官方) said that the SARS virus was under control, he publicly refuted their claim. "I couldn't help myself. I said it's not all under control," Zhong said in a later interview. His honesty won widespread praise from the Chinese public.
Back to the frontlines
Seventeen years later, Zhong is once again leading an expert team to study the novel coronavirus. Although this new virus is known to be more dangerous to the elderly, Zhong doesn't seem worried about his own safety.
On Jan 18, he took a high-speed train from Guangzhou to Wuhan. Two days later, he became the first expert to make certain that the new virus can be spread between humans. On January 29, he and his colleagues spent over four hours online checking five patients who were in serious condition. The next day, he chose the treatment for those patients. Under his guidance, his team developed a rapid test kit (快速检测试剂盒) for the disease that can show results within 15 minutes.
As People's Daily wrote, "the 84-year-old Zhong Nanshan shows his professionalism as a scholar, courage as a soldier, and a sense of duty as the backbone (脊梁) of our nation."
