Bruce Aylward
On March 4th, local time, The New York Times, USA published an interview with Bruce Aylward, head of the WHO expert group visiting China. Aylward introduced what he learned during his trip to China.
Aylward believes that at present, the epidemic has broken out in many parts of the world, and it is necessary to find appropriate anti-epidemic methods to alleviate the global panic. Fighting the epidemic requires speed, capital, imagination and courage. Considering the actual effect of epidemic prevention and control and the serious consequences that may be caused if we do not step up control, China’s model can be copied.
The number of cases in China is decreasing, don’t you believe it?
When asked whether the number of cases in China is really decreasing, Aylward said frankly, "I know some people doubt it.". He said that everywhere he visited, he said that compared with the peak of the epidemic in China, the situation was very different. Before that, about 46,000 people asked for testing every day, but when he left China, this number dropped to about 13,000 people every day.
I know there’ s suspicion, but at every testing clinic we went to, people would say, “It’ s not like it was three weeks ago.” It peaked at 46,000 people asking for tests a day; when we left, it was 13,000. Hospitals had empty beds.
"I don’t see any signs of manipulating the data." Aylward further responded: "The epidemic has stabilized and the progress is faster than expected."
How efficient is China? You can tell from the CT scan
Aylward said in an interview: "Each machine does about 200 times a day, and scans for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Maybe even a partial scan. In the west, a hospital usually scans once or twice an hour. This is not the same as doing x-rays; Patients may look normal, but CT will show what they are looking for ‘ Ground glass shadow ’ (abnormal lungs). "
Each machine did maybe 200 a day. Five, 10 minutes a scan. Maybe even partial scans. A typical hospital in the West does one or two an hour. And not X-rays; they could come up normal, but a CT would show the “ground-glass opacities” they were looking for.
When he mentioned taking swabs from suspected patients, the reporter asked: "Swabs are used for PCR tests, right? How fast can they do it? Until recently, we (the United States) had to send all samples to Atlanta. "
The swab was for a PCR test, right? How fast could they do that? Until recently, we were sending all of ours to Atlanta.
Aylward replied, "They (Dr. China) shortened the time to four hours."
They got it down to four hours.
Aylward also praised "China is very good at keeping patients alive" and said that "the hospitals there look better than some I saw in Switzerland".
"We asked: How many ventilators do you have? They said: 50 sets. We asked: How many ECMO(ECMO is an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator, which provides blood oxygenation in case of pulmonary failure)? They said: five. A team member from the Robert Koch Institute said: Five? In Germany, maybe there are only three. And only in Berlin. "
We’ d ask, “How many ventilators do you have?” They’ d say “50.” Wow! We’ d say, “How many ECMOs?” They’ d say “five.” The team member from the Robert Koch Institute said, “Five? In Germany, you get three, maybe. And just in Berlin.”
Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University successfully cured COVID-19 patients with ECMO. (Source: The Paper)
In view of the problem of treatment cost that the American people are generally concerned about, Aylward also made a comparison: the China administration made it clear that the test is free. After the medical insurance of the diagnosed patient is full, the state will bear all the treatment expenses.
In contrast, Aylward believes that the current health care system in the United States "has speed obstacles". The high cost of testing and treatment makes many people delay treatment because of hesitation, which is also very unfavorable for preventing and controlling the further spread of the epidemic.
How does technology solve all kinds of inconveniences?
Regarding the daily life of the isolated population, Aylward said through his observation that in Wuhan, more than 10 million people had to order food online and deliver it to their homes.
During the epidemic, a residential area in Chengdu adopted "5G+ unmanned delivery vehicle" to distribute daily necessities placed online for residents. (Source: Sichuan Online)
Moreover, China is using technical means to deal with the current inconveniences. He said: "China manages a large amount of data, and they are trying to track the close contacts of tens of thousands of cases. When they closed the school, in fact only the school building was closed. School education is transferred to the Internet. "
"We went to Sichuan, which is a big place." Aylward saw there that the staff dealing with the problem in the village 500 kilometers away received a video call from the governor.
How United are China people? Look at their consciousness
What moved Aylward most was the reaction of the whole country in China besides medical treatment, which is hard to see in other countries except China, and it is also the most critical factor in controlling the epidemic.
He told reporters: "The whole society is like this. They have a strong sense, ‘ We must help Wuhan ’ Not ‘ Wuhan has brought us to this point ’ . Other provinces have also sent more than 40 thousand medical workers to support Hubei, the hardest hit area, many of whom are voluntary. "
It was nationwide. There was this tremendous sense of,“We’ ve got to help Wuhan,” not “Wuhan got us into this.” Other provinces sent 40,000 medical workers, many of whom volunteered.
This sense of responsibility to unite and fight the epidemic together, and the kindness and cohesion of helping each other are the lubricants that can ensure the efficient operation of the whole society.
Questions for journalists — — "Why can China be quickly mobilized and acted in parallel?" Al ward said with an image metaphor:
They were mobilized, just as in the war. They really think they are on the front line, and they are defending the rest of China and even the whole world.
They’ re mobilized, like in a war, and it’ s fear of the virus that was driving them. They really saw themselves as on the front lines of protecting the rest of China. And the world.
Aylward also asked the reporter, "Can you do those simple things? Can you isolate 100 patients? Can you track 1000 contacts? If not, the epidemic will spread throughout the community. "
Can you do the easy stuff? Can you isolate 100 patients? Can you trace 1,000 contacts? If you don’ t, this will roar through a community.
Aylward used what he saw and felt in China to send a message to the whole world: mankind needs unity.
What he told in an exclusive interview about China has also been widely recognized and praised by netizens.
Good article, this is the truth of China.
China government’s response, efficient management and operation, and people’s cohesion to fight the epidemic together are worth seeing.
It’s true. You must read it.
An epidemic can not only make people see the warmth and coldness of society, but also make people realize the responsibility of the country and the courage of human beings to let go of their prejudice against each other. Rumor can’t cure the disease, and crowding out can’t stop the virus. In the war against disease, no one can be a deserter. Only by uniting and rushing forward can we achieve final victory.