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SINGAPORE: After being home for more than 70 days, residents of Wuhan, the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, are cautiously leaving their residences this week.
There is a new sense of optimism in the city of 11 million, whose sacrifices and stoicism to endure the blockade have been credited with saving millions of lives and helping the country get through some of its darkest days to combat a deadly infectious disease.
But it was not so long ago that the unprecedented move to seal an entire city caught the world by surprise.
If anything, Wuhan presents himself as a shining example, giving hope to the rest of the world when billions more have been put into some form of physical isolation.
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Wuhan’s experience is particularly relevant and revealing in showing how the situation can worsen in a matter of weeks if little is done.
However, the Hubei megacity also demonstrates the possibility of change with additional efforts and measures.
WUHAN STARTED WITH THE WRONG FOOT
In the early stages of the outbreak, Wuhan’s ability to deal with the full scale of the situation was hampered by cover-ups and exacerbated by a poorly prepared and inexperienced emergency response until mid-February.
Wuhan’s health system was on the verge of collapse when numbers began to rise and doctors had to reject patients with respiratory illnesses in mid-January.
China’s exports plummeted in January and February when officials tried to contain the new virus, including imposing a blockade on the key industrial region of Wuhan. (Photo: AFP / Hector RETAMAL)
The mood changed after several unrelated cases appeared a few days later. The central government intervened with the closure of the city in late January and began construction of makeshift hospitals.
There was a decisive determination in the air, as people understood and accepted these restrictions.
However, without taking risks, officials also slapped city tests and replaced local leaders in mid-February.
At the end of March, Wuhan had reduced the number of new infections to zero or almost zero.
EXPERTS CONTRIBUTED TO THE STRUGGLE
Much of Wuhan’s rapid change has been attributed to the strong actions of the Chinese central government, which was able to pool and concentrate resources at the national level.
But the city’s history is also one of the experts who live up to the opportunity to contribute advice and experience to broaden understanding of a new virus, which informs public health responses.
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Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Guangdong-based epidemiologist, first raised the specter of the possibility of person-to-person transmission of the virus on January 20 and alerted the community and epidemiology officials to the potentially explosive growth of the disease. infectious.
Li Lanjuan, another renowned Zhejiang-based epidemiologist, had proposed imposing a blockade of Wuhan, a move that could have helped prevent an estimated 744,000 infections in the rest of China in mid-February, according to a recent study published in the journal. Science. .
An aerial view shows the recently completed Huoshenshan Hospital, a dedicated hospital built in 8 days to treat coronavirus patients, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, February 2, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS
Wang Chen, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of the Beijing Union Medical College, proposed building makeshift hospitals, which Lancet medical journal sees as a new concept in public health that can be a powerful component in national responses. to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that health systems are not overwhelmed.
GREAT TECHNOLOGY FOUND
The COVID-19 outbreak was also the first time that China’s Big Tech companies took the lead in efforts to boost connectivity and logistics, crucial to keeping 11 million Wuhan residents under lock and key.
Tencent and Alibaba not only led China’s corporate philanthropy with billions in the area of billions of yuan to buy masks, medicines and other medical supplies for Hubei, and the creation of green passageways from factories around China to Wuhan.
They also provided platforms and apps for millions of communities, workplaces, and schools across the country to manage health information, organize teleconferences, and conduct e-learning, so that work, school, and most of life can continue even though the city isolates homes.
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These internet giants have promised new investments in the city, as it lifted the blocking restrictions last week.
Other actors, including transport companies, private couriers, and food delivery platforms, teamed up to provide labor for deliveries and other essential services for people to stay home.
Construction workers at a temporary hospital receive meat and vegetables delivered by Wuhan resident Chen Hui and another volunteer in Ezhou, Hubei province, China, on February 11, 2020, following an outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country. . Chen Hui / Brochure via REUTERS
AID FROM THE REST OF CHINA
Aid also came from ordinary people, despite major drawbacks, including those who helped Wuhan as truckers, construction workers, makeshift hospital technicians or engineers, charity organizers, participants who help workers in Wuhan front line, or even concerned citizens. who worried about Wuhan’s situation and urged others to comply with the blockade.
People who did not work during this period channeled their efforts to help the city’s fight against the coronavirus.
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Private help, whether emotional or material, from friends or family staying in Wuhan also reinforced the city’s resilience during this difficult period.
The Chinese government had capitalized on social sentiments and values to fight the virus in a “society-wide” way.
Provinces around China sent medical personnel and supplies to designated cities and prefectures in Hubei, helping him overcome the surge in cases to eventually make a notable return.
A total of 344 medical teams have been dispatched to Wuhan and other cities in Hubei, involving 11,416 doctors and 28,679 nurses, according to local news reports. Surprisingly, approximately 10 percent of China’s total workforce in intensive care units was sent to Hubei.
Chart showing the deployment of medical personnel from the Chinese provinces to Hubei during the Wuhan closure. (Source: provided by the authors. Data: compiled from Renmin Ribao and Chinanews.com)
Chart showing the deployment of medical personnel from Hubei to Wuhan during the closure of the city. (Source: provided by the authors. Data: compiled from Renmin Ribao and Chinanews.com)
STARTING ACTIONS
Government-led grassroots organizations were another important pillar, as volunteers undertook front-line tasks to enforce quarantines, monitor residents’ health, send patients to clinics and hospitals, and deliver food and other supplies to residents. vulnerable.
Like hospitals, grassroots organizations were overwhelmed by an avalanche of aid requests, but were able to regroup when more labor and goods were deployed on the front line.
In this, self-organized groups and volunteers in the city helped by leading WeChat groups to work with government-led or self-employed grassroots organizations to “wholesale” food and organize deliveries. Online counseling, a new form of volunteering, flourished.
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AN ONGOING RECOVERY
How Wuhan residents continue to deal with the psychological and emotional stress of this extraordinary blockade is a question that will need further investigation.
The virus has imprinted varying degrees of trauma on the population, with some losing family members or close friends, many more infected, and the vast majority recovering from this blockage.
Wuhan is now in the recovery phase. There is much work to do, including providing advisory services, helping vulnerable families and groups, restarting the economy and revitalizing society, and ensuring that the import of the virus is kept under control.
Wuhan’s change is remarkable. The city is a beacon of hope for cities around the world in the face of storm COVID-19.
Where many are among the most industrialized and developed economies, Wuhan has hopefully provided a useful benchmark on how to mobilize individuals, communities, and businesses to overcome a blockade.
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Zhao Litao is a Principal Investigator at the East Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore. Kong Tuan Yuen is a visiting researcher at the same institute. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the East Asian Institute, or its Board members.
