PR83594

BEIJING, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The unknown, relentless novel coronavirus has so far deprived thousands of

people of their beloved family members in China. Parting ways doesn't mean

parting forever. CGTN explores in detail the lives of those who have died from

the coronavirus since the outbreak began.

Video - https://cdn5.prnasia.com/202004/CGTN/video.mp4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoRj_StxMms

To learn more about these doctors and other victims of the novel coronavirus in

China, visit CGTN's interactive memorial page(

https://www.cgtn.com/coronavirus-interactive-in-memoriam.html?utm_source=bluef&utm_medium=CgtnWebsiteCampaign&utm_campaign=memorial).

Liu Yang never thought this meeting with her father, even though it was from

afar, would be their last. Her father Liu Zhiming, a prominent neurologist,

died on February 18 after being infected by the novel coronavirus.

Liu was director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, which was designated by the Wuhan

municipal government on January 21 as one of the hospitals to treat patients

infected with the novel coronavirus or suspected of having the virus. "He

called me, asking me to prepare some clothes for him. He said he was too busy

to go home. At the time, I felt that he was short of breath," said his wife Cai

Liping, an ICU head nurse at Wuhan Third Hospital.

A workaholic, he was on shift for three days straight in converting a part of

the hospital into isolation wards that began receiving infected patients on

January 23. That was the day when Wuhan was put on lockdown, and also the day

Liu was diagnosed with COVID-19.

He was hospitalized the next day and soon attached to a ventilator, talking

only on the phone with Cai, who was on a hectic schedule in treating severe

COVID-19 cases. In his last days, he rejected intubation, according to Hong Yi,

secretary of Wuchang Hospital's discipline committee. "He was worried that his

team would be infected."

On the day he passed away, there were 431 COVID-19 patients in his hospital.

He's the first known hospital director to have died from the coronavirus.

Aside from senior medical professionals on the frontline of the battle against

COVID-19, there are young doctors at the beginning of their careers such as Xia

Sisi, a gastroenterologist at Wuhan's Union Jiangbei Hospital. She died from

the infection in late February. Colleagues said she could have been infected in

January, when she tended to an elderly patient who had presented symptoms of

the novel coronavirus.

Five days later, she had a fever of 38.9 degrees Celsius and felt a tightness

in her chest. She was hospitalized on that day. When she felt she could be

discharged and go back to the frontline after her symptoms subsided a few days

later, her situation deteriorated. Her husband Wu Shilei, a surgeon at Wuhan

Pu'ai Hospital, rushed to the emergency room in the early hours on February 7.

Her heart had stopped. Doctors intubated and resuscitated Xia after putting her

on ECMO support, then transferred her to a hospital specializing in intensive

care. But she remained in a coma and passed away on February 23.

Back home, Wu couldn't come to terms with her death. "We had promised to fight

on the frontline together when she recovered." He didn't know what to tell

their two-year-old son. "Jiabao believes his mother is still working at the

hospital."

So far, at least 46 medical professionals in China have died in relation to the

coronavirus outbreak. Some had decades of experience while others were just

beginning their mission to help others. Li Wenliang, the ophthalmologist who

shared a patient report in December that alerted his medical school classmates

to the coronavirus, died at 34 years old. Song Yunhua, a doctor at a community

health center, was hit by a motorcycle after working long hours to screen

patients for the virus. She was 46.

Many of these doctors were likely exposed to the coronavirus from late 2019 to

January, when the new virus was just coming to light. Medical professionals had

encountered patients that might have had COVID-19 before it had been identified

as a distinct coronavirus strain, so they had worn protective equipment and

followed procedures that were appropriate for dealing with low-level infectious

diseases. Little did they know that they had come into contact with a serious

yet mysterious virus that would evolve into a global pandemic months later.

These doctors maintained the utmost professionalism and concern for their

colleagues and patients in the darkest moments. Their spirit is seeded in those

who aspire to follow in their footsteps, such as Liu Yang, who is now a

first-year medical student at the very school that her father Liu Zhiming

graduated from.

To view the original article, click HERE(

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-04/Remembering-the-medical-professionals-we-ve-lost-to-coronavirus--PoLVQTLgs0/index.html?utm_source=bluef&utm_medium=CgtnWebsiteCampaign&utm_campaign=memorial).

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200228/2733726-1-logo

Source: CGTN

Image Attachments Links:

Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=361487

Caption: CGTN launches an interactive memorial page.