People’s Heroes

By Lu Yan

Recalling the national fight against the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） epidemic， Zhong Nanshan， Chinas top respiratory disease specialist， couldnt help getting choked up.

The 84-year-old recounted that one day one of his students working at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan， then the hardest-hit area in the country， sent him a message saying that residents in his neighborhood were singing the national anthem to cheer each other up amid the raging epidemic.

“This is the Chinese nation. These are the Chinese people. Nothing can defeat us，” Zhong told state broadcaster China Central Television in an interview aired on September 8， adding that it was this kind of national morale that enabled the country to overcome diffi culties.

On the same day， a ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to commend role models in the fi ght against COVID-19. Zhong received the Medal of the Republic， the highest state honor.

In his speech， Zhong said that despite success in COVID-19 prevention and control in China at this stage， there should be no relaxing of epidemic response. “We will work hand in hand with medical staff across the country and the rest of the world… to make greater contributions to the global anti-pandemic cause and the building of a global community of health for all，” he said.

Role models

As a renowned respiratory disease expert based in Guangdong Province in south China， Zhong saved many lives during the severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） outbreak back in 2003 by formulating therapeutic solutions which helped Guangdong become one of the regions with the highest recovery rate and the lowest mortality rate among SARS patients in the world.

During the early stage of the COVID-19 epidemic in China in January， Zhong alerted the public by announcing that the novel coronavirus was transmissible from person to person， a discovery that was critical at a time of confusion and helped change Chinas anti-epidemic work.

Zhong also gave advice and other information through the media on the prevention and control of the virus to inform and educate the general public. “During the epidemic， ordinary Chinese people said they would listen to Zhongs advice when they needed to decide whether to go out or not. It showed peoples genuine trust in and appreciation of him，” Ran Pixin， Director of the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases of Guangzhou Medical University， who has been studying and working with Zhong since 1993， told Xinhua News Agency.