COVID-19 - Sounding the alarm again!

Zhangjiajie, Yangzhou, Changde, Yantai, Beijing... Within just half a month, a Covid outbreak first discovered in Nanjing has spread to 33 cities.

Today, 75 new local cases has been confirmed. The number of everyday newly confirmed cases still remains worrying high.

Almost overnight the mutated virus hit Chinese people again.

Yangzhou has been locked down and the streets are as quite as they were in Wuhan back then.

In Wuhan, over 600 kilometers away from Yangzhou, medical staff are working hard through the night.

In three days, Wuhan needs to complete a new round of urgent nuclear acid test for more than 10 million citizens.

Under the hot sun, community medical staff again put on the thick protective clothing to do the nuclear acid test for every resident.

Since the outbreak began in 2019, our reactions towards COVID-19 have changed from being fear, to cautious, and finally to get used to it.

But it’s not until recently that an old lady from Nanjing went to Yangzhou to play cards, causing the COVID-19 flare-up in Yangzhou and its nearby cities where a number of 162 confirmed cases has been reported.

The severity of the pandemic is beyond everyone's imagination.

This time, the new COVID-19 variant called "Delta" has panicked everyone.

 ONE

Why is the Delta variant scary?

Since the pandemic began, we have been fighting against the viruses, and so do they.

There are four mutated strains of the New Coronavirus, which have already posed a serious threat to human beings.

The Delta variant is one of them.

There are two scary parts of the delta variant.

First, it spreads extremely quickly.

It is horrifying enough that 162 people are confirmed with COVID-19 because Mrs Mao went to Yangzhou from Nanjing to play cards.

But if we look at the situation around the globe, we can see the “devastating part" of the delta variant.

In France, the number of newly confirmed cases of the Delta virus is increasing exponentially every week.

In the United States, in June, only 6% of those diagnosed were infected with the Delta variant.

By August, this figure had jumped to 93.4%.

Many experts, including Zhong Nanshan, were surprised by the Delta.

"How on earth can this virus infect 400,000 Indian people in 1 day?"

The Delta has now spread to 130 countries and territories around the world, and several cities in Australia has been closed now.

Second, the Delta variant is very “fierce”.

Do you remember the outbreak of Guangdong in May this year?

That was the time we met the Delta.

Two people only went into separate bathrooms in a restaurant.

Then, in just 14 seconds and without any physical contact, the transmission of the virus was completed.

The Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention compared 62 patients infected with the delta strain to those infected with the new coronavirus in early 2020.

They found that the viral load is 1,260 times higher in people infected with the Delta variant than those infected with the original coronavirus strain.

"The biggest risk to the world at the moment is simply Delta," said microbiologist Sharon Peacock, calling it the “fastest, fittest and most formidable” version of the coronavirus.

The delta variant may overwhelm everyone’s imagination to the New Coronavirus.

The pandemic hits us again, one of the most pressing concerns is - do the vaccines work or not?

After the outbreak in Nanjing, people keep asking tough questions in the comment sections of every news concerning newly reported cases.

--"Is it really hard to count if those infected people have been vaccinated before?"

--"Dare you truthfully tell us the infection rate of Delta variant?"

Facing those sharp questions, the official authorities reply clearly: the majority of infected patients have been vaccinated.

But to their surprise, many people took advantage of this answer, advocating that “the vaccines are useless."

"You see, I told you that the vaccine doesn't work!" 

"You'll get infected whether you get vaccinated or not, so it's better not to get vaccinated!"

"Why should we get vaccinated? What a waste of my time!"

“Is it true? We can’t fight against the COVID-19? China's vaccines fail?

After reading these comments, I just want to say,

“Be kind, and please keep your mouth shut.”

 TWO

In the 21st century, we should believe one thing:

Science.

Will the vaccines still work?

You and me can’t not answer this question, only the experts can.

Zhong Nanshan has made it clear that China’s vaccine is effective even it is for combating with this cunning virus - Delta variant.

"Its protection rate is 63% against infection, 77% against severe pneumonia, and 100% against death."

Dr. Zhang Wenhong said almost with absolute certainty,

"In the fight against the delta virus, the vaccine is the main weapon."

When the outbreak hit Guangzhou back then, an expert once pointed out, "13 patients who are seriously ill are all unvaccinated."

The outbreak in Nanjing this time illustrates the problem again.

Most of those infected early on are all vaccinated and, most of them are with mild symptoms.

And the elderly people playing mahjong in Yangzhou, who did not wear masks, gathered in high density space and had low rate of vaccine coverage, gave the delta virus a chance to take advantage of the situation.

To put it bluntly, our body builds up the first line of defence once we get vaccinated.

Without the vaccine, we are even more vulnerable to the virus.

As for why do we still get infected even if we have been vaccinated?

It’s simple - there is no miracle cure in this world.

No vaccine can be 100% effective, and COVID-19 vaccine is no exception.

To be honest, many countries have already given up the battle against the coronavirus.

On August 4, nearly 110,000 new cases were confirmed in the United States in one day, with 573 people died.

On August 5, 15,000 new cases were confirmed in Japan, with 5,042 cases in Tokyo alone.

Not to mention the situations in Africa, Australia, India...

WHO concluded four levels of measures to prevent and control COVID-19.

aggressive containment, 2. suppression, 3. mitigation, 4. no substantive strategy

China is one of the few countries worldwide that choose the first option of aggressive containment.

When the outbreak hit, we responded quickly.

We completed 210 million nucleic acid tests in a short time where the delta virus hit Guangzhou.

Through massive, swift and efficient screening, the outbreak in Guangzhou was controlled in just 29 days.

As the pandemic subsided, mass vaccination program quickly followed.

People could not only get vaccinated for free, but also in many places, eggs and coupons, and free pick-up service are provided to encourage people to get vaccination.

What is the purpose of putting such painstaking efforts?

Because herd immunity can only be achieved if our vaccination rate reaches 70 to 80%.

Because if we achieve herd immunity through natural infection would result in an infection rate of 70 to 80% and a mortality rate of 5%.

This is unrealistic, unscientific and inhumane.

We have only one simple wish, which is that our people are healthy and safe.

As President Xi said at the national commendation ceremony for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic,

"When it comes to protecting people's lives, we will win at all costs.

Our philosophy will always be: put people and their lives first!"

 THREE

I don't know what those people who advocate the "vaccines are useless" are thinking.

Do you know how many people would feel bitterly disappointed when seeing your careless comment "the vaccines are useless"?

Let's rewind the clock to January 21, 2020, the penultimate day of Wuhan's lockdown.

The Ministry of Science and Technology of People’s Republic of China held an emergency meeting to deploy the top 10 emergency science and technology projects for the pandemic.

One of them was the top priority: to develop the new COVID-19 vaccine.

The meeting was the starting point of China’s vaccine's race against the virus and against the death.

Many scientists returned to the laboratory even before they had finished their Spring Festival holidays.

In the laboratory, everyone wore thick protective clothing and worked day and night.

Some people chose to eat less, drink less and even wear nappies for 19 hours because they were afraid that taking off the protective clothing might cost a lot of time and delay their research work.

Many vaccine research and development programs were undergoing at the same time, but which one would work? Nobody knew.

We have to put all our manpower and resources into the projects and develop the vaccine at any cost!

Vaccine development is an arduous project that carries the hopes of so many people.

Zhou Song, a staff member of China Bio, recalls that before the vaccine was officially tested in clinical trials, there was a small-scale internal test within them.

Some scientists tested the vaccine on themselves, and many of them hid it from their families.

After getting vaccinated, blood test had to be done regularly after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 21 days... Their arms always bruised after many time’s blood draws. Their families even suspected they were taking drugs

Later, the scientists officially started the clinical trials for the vaccine where volunteers were openly recruited in many places.

One scientist said that 108 volunteers were recruited.

There were many who worried that they would face significant risks by participating in the early clinical trials, but even so, they came without hesitation.

One young girl sent a scientist several text messages, wrote,

"I haven't been out lately and I have been eating properly. Back then the whole country came to help Wuhan, now can I do my part?"

The clinical trial was a great success. 30 volunteers wrote a joint letter,

“We are China's anti-pandemic suicide squad, the first volunteers participating in the clinical trial for the Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine!

We are petitioning here for the participation in the battle against the pandemic. We are willing to do our part if our country needs us at any time... “

Among them are professors, civil servants, ex-soldiers, and retirees.

There are no heroes coming down from the sky, only ordinary people on the earth would step forward to offer help.

Behind the greatness and glory of their job are their day to day work, hardship, struggle and tolerance.

And also it is the story of Chen Wei who rolled up her sleeves and asked her colleagues to give her the first shot of the vaccine.

It is the story of an 84-year-old veteran who volunteered to participate in the clinical trial.

"After all, someone has to stand up for this."

Behind the birth of the COVID-19 vaccine is the painstaking effort and dedication of countless people.

With unremitting efforts,

Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech has developed the inactivated vaccine.

CanSino Biologics has developed the adenovirus vector vaccine.

Anhui Zhifei Longcom has developed the protein-based vaccine.

Two kinds of mRNA vaccines also start Phase II and Phase III clinical trials.

After the vaccine had been developed, officials went to the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and asked them,

"On behalf of our authority, I've come to visit you and express our thankfulness to you, so please feel free to tell me what you want."

The scientists didn't ask for any bonus or privileges, but just shyly smiled and said,

"If anything, I would really like to have a holiday so that I could have a good sleep!"

Hearing this, all the people on site burst into tears.

FOUR

The introduction of vaccines will do good to our country and to all human beings.

At home, we insist that vaccinations should reach to everyone and be given free of charge.

For foreign countries, we have launched the "Spring Seed Operation", actively assisting and striving to vaccinate overseas compatriots with domestic or foreign vaccines.

In the answer to the question "Is there any moment that made you cry for your motherland?”

A netizen whose mother works in Oman, a small Middle Eastern country, said,

“Our country sent 100,000 doses of vaccines to Oman to ensure that all of her compatriots living and working in Oman could get vaccinated.”

All doses but the portion for Chinese are donated to Oman on one condition:

The vaccine should be given to Chinese first!

China donates 300,000 doses to Laos on condition that the vaccine should be given to Chinese first!

China donates 500,000 doses to Vietnam on condition that the vaccine should be given to Chinese first!

China donates 1 million doses to Thailand on condition that the vaccine should be given to Chinese first!

One shot of vaccine has become a tool for some people to make a fortune out of other’s misery.

But in China, we are not only capable to help our own people, but also help other countries with great generosity.

Like the mountain range that stretches before you and me, let's share the same trials and hardships together.

Until now, more than 100 countries have approved China’s vaccines.

We help Brazil.

We help Bolivia.

When the vaccines were delivered, many presidents came to airport to show their thankfulness.

We uphold the concept of human community with a shared future and promote vaccines as a global public good.

This is China's responsibility as a big country.

I hope that those who advocate "the vaccines are useless" and "fighting the pandemic only with their mouths" should think deeper before commenting on vaccines.

Think about the medical workers who have worked day and night.

Think about the scientists and volunteers who dare to be the first.

Think about every Chinese who are standing in front of you, bravely fighting with the virus.

I hope that each and every one of us will actively participate in the prevention and control of the pandemic, go to get vaccination, and finally build a protective wall against the coronavirus.

I remember back in the days when schistosomiasis had been wiped out, Chairman Mao once wrote two lu shi poems entitled "Farewell to the God of Plague".

"The spring wind blows amid profuse willow wands,

Six hundred million in this land all equal Yao and Shun.

...

We ask the God of Plague: 'Where are you bound?'

Paper barges aflame and candle-light illuminate the sky.”

Chinese people overcame the schistosomiasis.

Chinese people overcame SARS.

I believe in the near future, we will overcome the pandemic as well!

Our motherland will not give up any of her people, nor will abandon any of them.

Instead of saying that we can always trust in China’s vaccines.

We would rather say everyone born in this land can always believe in China!

This article is forwarded from the official WeChat account_十點讀書