Jessica Hockett, PhD
Documents that appear to be the emergency notices issued by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission for internal circulation to local hospitals alerting them to patients with “unexplained pneumonia”
Source: 30 December 2019 tweet
Translation: Online reports of SARS/suspected SARS outbreak in Wuhan, China
Image 1: WeChat group
Group: ‘Wuhan University, Clinical Medicine, Class of 2004 (146 members)’
[An earlier message is partly cropped.]
17:43 — Li Wenliang, Wuhan, Ophthalmology:
Seven cases of SARS have been confirmed at the Huanan Fruit and Seafood Market.
[He shares a photograph of a laboratory report, followed by an 11-second video showing a chest scan. The report’s text is too small to translate reliably from this screenshot.]
They are being isolated in the emergency department at our hospital’s Houhu campus.
[The next message is cut off.]
The readable text from the image shows:
1. “Welcome to my blog!”
2. “SARS”
3. “The author of the book…” (repeated several times)
Chinese text: “在我们医院后湖院区急诊科隔离” (which translates to “In the isolation area of the emergency department at our hospital’s Houhu District”)
Image 2: WeChat group
Group: ‘Union–Red Cross Neurology (25 members)’
[A photograph of a document appears at the top, but its contents are too small to read reliably.]
Head Nurse [name unclear]:
Thank you.
19:39 — Liu Wen:
A case of coronavirus infectious pneumonia has just been confirmed at the Second Hospital’s Houhu campus. 😱 Perhaps the area around Huanan will be quarantined. Wash your hands! Masks! Gloves!
19:46 — Liu Wen:
SARS has basically been confirmed. Fellow nurses, don’t go out wandering around.
19:51 — Two replies:
Thank you, Dr Liu, for the reminder.
Thank you, Dr Liu, for the reminder.
Image 3: Wuhan Municipal Health Commission notice
Urgent Notice on Properly Carrying Out Medical Treatment for Pneumonia of Unknown Cause
To all relevant medical institutions:
According to an urgent notification from higher authorities, patients with pneumonia of unknown cause have appeared successively at some medical institutions in our city. To provide effective medical treatment for these patients and safeguard public health and safety, the following requirements concerning the treatment of patients with pneumonia of unknown cause who have similar characteristics are hereby issued:
1. Strengthen leadership and accountability
Medical institutions at all levels must heighten their sense of responsibility and attach great importance to the relevant medical work. They must designate the responsible leaders and departments, establish dedicated working teams, coordinate resources, organise expert groups, and make appropriate arrangements to ensure that diagnosis and treatment proceed in an orderly manner.
2. Standardize medical treatment
All medical institutions must strengthen outpatient and emergency department management and strictly implement the first-contact responsibility system. When patients with pneumonia of unknown cause are identified, institutions must actively mobilise resources to treat them locally; refusing treatment or shirking responsibility is prohibited.
Institutions must reinforce relevant specialist capacity in respiratory medicine, infectious diseases, intensive care, and other disciplines; keep expedited treatment pathways open; ensure effective coordination between outpatient and emergency services; improve emergency treatment plans; strengthen medical staff training; and provide appropriate, standardised treatment. Strengthen the prevention and control of infections within hospitals.
3. Strictly implement information reporting
All medical institutions must promptly track and compile treatment statistics and report the relevant information, as required, to their district disease-control authorities, while simultaneously reporting it to the Municipal Health Commission’s Division of Medical Administration and Management. Major matters must be reported promptly.
Without authorisation, no organisation or individual may independently release information about medical treatment to the public.
30 December 2019
[Seal: Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, Division of Medical Administration and Management.]
Image 4: Reporting notice
Municipal Health Commission Urgent Notice on Reporting the Treatment of Pneumonia of Unknown Cause
To all relevant medical institutions:
According to an urgent notification from higher authorities, cases of pneumonia of unknown cause have appeared successively at our city’s Huanan Seafood Market. To carry out an effective response, all institutions must immediately review and compile statistics on patients with pneumonia of unknown cause who have similar characteristics and who have been seen during the past week.
Submit the statistical form—a scanned copy bearing the official seal—to the Municipal Health Commission’s Division of Medical Administration and Management by email before 4 p.m. today.
Contacts: Mao Bing, 85697893; [second name unclear], 85690943
Email: whsyzc@126.com
Attachment: Relevant information reporting form
Division of Medical Administration and Management
Wuhan Municipal Health Commission
30 December 2019
*These may be the messages Michael Safi was referencing under “Day 1” in his 8 April 2020 article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/apr/08/coronavirus-100-days-that-changed-the-world
All translations machine-generated.
Original WH76 post here.
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