This article is from the WeChat public account: China Economic Weekly (ID: ChinaEconomicWeekly) , author: Xie Wei

“I am 57 years old and haveThe nucleic acid was detected as ‘new coronary pneumonia’. Now my 83-year-old father is bedridden, in a coma, and his life is at risk; my 82-year-old mother has a high fever and begins to have diarrhea, and her life is in danger. I also had diarrhea and I was weak. If this continues, our whole family will all die at home! Ask for help! Help! “

On January 31st, Zhang Jianming resignedly asked for help on social media platforms.

He said, “We have repeatedly asked the community to help me to see a doctor, especially hospital help, but they let us solve it for various reasons. We are helpless and desperate, so we ask you for help and help with hospital help!” >

Soon after the distress message was sent out, Zhang Jianming and his family were lucky enough to be admitted to hospital for treatment. In the end, it was his community that came up with the solution.

Behind this letter of help is the helpless patient and the community under the burden.

Under the raging epidemic, it is not only the major hospitals with scarce supplies and limited manpower. The growing number of diagnoses and suspected patients is overwhelming the grassroots communities.

Illness

On January 23, Wuhan “closed the city.” According to the notice of Wuhan New Pneumonia Prevention and Control Headquarters, the city ’s urban bus, subway, ferry, and long-distance passenger transportation have been suspended from 10 o’clock on that day, and the airport and train station leaving the Han corridor have been temporarily closed.

On this morning, Zhang Jianming, who lives in Wuchang District of Wuhan City, began to have a fever, the highest fever was 38.5 degrees, and pneumonia suspected of new coronavirus infection appeared. Hereinafter referred to as “new coronary pneumonia”) symptoms. Two days later, on January 25, his parents also started to have fever (37.3 ~ 38.8 degrees) . That night, he took his father to the Third Hospital of Wuhan City, but was unable to confirm the diagnosis. In the end, they only took back some oral medicine and quarantined themselves at home.

At noon on January 24, Wuhan New Coronary Pneumonia Prevention and Control Headquarters issued Announcement No. 7 to carry out graded diagnosis and treatment of new-type coronary pneumonia. Patients with suspected fever were initially screened by the community health service center. The community will implement home observation and treatment; if it meets the conditions for sending hot fever, the community will make an appointment for a special medical ambulance to transfer it to the designated hospital. At the same time, governmentThe government disclosed to the society the contact information of more than 2,000 community secretaries in the city.

Overnight, the community became the “top priority” of the entire epidemic prevention work.

Zhang Jianming went to the community to register, but there was no feedback. He can only call the neighborhood committee in his community repeatedly, but the only response the community can give is to suggest that he overcome it.

After that, the family had a fever for several days. Zhang Jianming’s 83-year-old father was bedridden and was in a coma. The 82-year-old mother had a high fever and began to have diarrhea. Panic among the whole family is increasing.

However, it was even more difficult for Zhang Jianming to take his parents to the hospital.

Personnel movements must be reduced in the event of an epidemic. On January 25, Wuhan New Pneumonia Prevention and Control Headquarters issued Circular No. 9 and adopted a series of traffic control measures. According to the requirements of the notice, in order to control the risk of contagion caused by the movement of people, after 00:00 on January 26, 2020, except for the licensed transport vehicles, free transportation vehicles, and official vehicles, motor vehicle prohibition management is implemented in the central urban area .

Zhang Jianming said that both parents are over 80 years old and suffer from basic diseases such as high blood pressure all the year round. The elderly are really unable to travel, so they cannot always be diagnosed. On the one hand, the home lacks supplies such as masks and protective clothing. On the other hand, private cars are not available on the road. According to regulations, for patients who need to go to the hot clinic, the districts will arrange vehicles to send them to the designated hot clinic for treatment. On January 30, he could only support his body with a low fever and went to the People’s Hospital of Wuhan University for treatment alone.

On January 31, he got the diagnosis, and the new coronavirus nucleic acid RNA test was positive. But he did not know how long it would take for the community to report.

In panic, he sent a call for help on social media platforms.

He said, “We have repeatedly asked the community to help me to see a doctor, especially hospital help, but they let us solve it for various reasons. We are helpless and desperate, so we ask you for help and help with hospital help!” >

For Help

Zhang Jianming and his family received nearly 300 calls before and after the distress information was publicized on the social media platform. “Of these, 50% are of concern, and some are selling medicinal materials, treatment methods, or even in the early morning hours. Two or three points are really exhausting. “

Fortunately,The next day for help, Zhang Jianming and his family received phone calls from the Wuchang District Health and Health Bureau and the community. After learning about the family’s illness in detail, he told Zhang Jianming, “We will send a doctor to your door tomorrow.”

Zhang Jianming felt that he was finally saved.

The family waited at home, but that night, Zhang Jianming’s condition suddenly worsened, and his fever was over 39 degrees. His family searched for relationships, and with the help of his friends, he was taken to the People’s Hospital. All he left was his wife and his parents in their 80s who had just had a thyroid nodule surgery.

In the early morning of February 1, a 120 ambulance arrived at the neighborhood where Zhang Jianming was. Zhang Jianming’s wife and two elderly people were taken to the hospital, saying they found two beds.

However, from around 10am to 5pm, they are still waiting for beds in the hospital observation room. At 7 o’clock that night, my father finally got a bed and was admitted to the hospital. Zhang Jianming’s wife asked her brother-in-law, Li Hong, if he could drive himself and his mother back to the community.

However, Li Hong’s masks have been exhausted, and her self-protection is insufficient, and she is also worried about being infected. In the end, Zhang Jianming’s wife could only resort to the community.

At the most difficult time, the community sent a car and brought two sets of protective clothing. Subsequently, the patient needed blood pressure meters and other daily necessities to be sent to the hospital. Zhang Jianming’s wife was sent home afterwards.

“We really appreciate the community and are particularly moved.” Li Hong said that they were lucky. After all, with the help of the community, the family was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Pressure

Community is the first line of defense for epidemic prevention and control.

Under the impact of the unprecedented epidemic, it is not only the major hospitals with scarce supplies and limited manpower. The growing number of confirmed and suspected cases has overwhelmed the grassroots communities.

On February 2nd, the pneumonia prevention and control headquarters of a new type of coronavirus infection in Wuhan requested that “four types of personnel” be classified and treated in a centralized manner and isolated. All urban districts must complete the centralized treatment of patients diagnosed with new-type coronavirus-infected pneumonia, the centralized isolation of suspected patients, and the isolation and observation of close contacts of fever patients who cannot be ruled out.

In addition to addressing the needs of residents in the community for purchasing, travel, and treatment, the community is also responsible for the investigation of fever patients and the centralized isolation of suspected patients.

According to the “Administrative Measures for Community Workers in Wuchang District (Trial)” issued in 2016 by Wuchang District, Wuhan City, based on comprehensive consideration of factors such as the population size of the community, the extent of management, the composition of residents, and the service targets of specific groups, the principle is to Every 240 households are equipped with 1 standard, equipped with community workers, of which 1 community residents committee member is allocated for every 500 households in the community.

This means, Depending on the size of the community, it is often dozens of people matching thousands of people.

Facing unprecedented work intensity and work content, many community workers are overloaded.

“There are still some people moving in supermarkets, pharmacies, and streets. Patients are cumbersome to get medicines, and there is a high risk of cross-infection and infection along the way. If the source of infection cannot be effectively controlled, the rate of infection is greater than the speed of isolation and treatment, then Unbelievable! “Li Hong told reporters that the experience of his family made him feel that the community is too important. He must take responsibility for the residents, concentrate and isolate the suspected patients, and hope to send professional medical staff to the community to assist in the work.

He also understands that under the continuous “war epidemic”, community workers have been struggling to carry forward the frontline load.

A community worker at the front line of the epidemic sent a circle of friends, “Every day I go home late and return home late, try my best to protect myself, it is difficult to say two sentences to my son one day. I cried before going out this morning. One time, I told my son that crying was to release the pressure. He said he was so sleepy and went to sleep. “

According to the real-time dynamics of the pneumonia epidemic released by Dr. Lilac, as of 17:10 on February 5, 2020, Hubei Province has reported a total of 16,678 confirmed cases of pneumonia with new coronavirus infection. Among them, 8351 cases were in Wuhan.

As mild patients and close contacts are gradually transferred to the cabin hospitals and centrally isolated hotels, the pressure on the community level will gradually be relieved.

Li Hong also repeatedly told reporters that he must pass on his confidence. “We in Hubei are still full of confidence and firmly believe that we will fight back the epidemic!”

(In response to the request of the interviewee, Zhang Jianming and Li Hong are aliases in the text)

This article comes from WeChat public account: China Economic Weekly (ID: ChinaEconomicWeekly) , author: Xie Wei