China
2020.02.01 21:03 GMT+8

Chinese medical worker who fought Ebola joins coronavirus battle in Wuhan

Updated 2020.02.01 21:03 GMT+8
CGTN

The same hug, the same people, two different health crises – a moving imagery that has tugged at the heartstrings of Chinese social media users.

In the both photographs, Song Caiping is on a mission to two hotspots – Liberia in 2014 and Wuhan, central China, in 2020.

Song Caiping's son sees her off in November 2014. /Tencent News Photo

Song is a member of the medical team at the Army Medical University, and has been dispatched to help treat coronavirus patients at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital.

But that's not the first time she finds herself at the center of a viral outbreak.

Five years ago, she was deployed to Liberia to help with the fight against Ebola as part of a medical team from China.

Song Caiping stands with her colleagues outside their hospital before traveling to Wuhan on Chinese New Year's Eve. /Tencent News Photo

Her son was only 11 years old at the time and saying goodbye to his mother left him in tears. In order to appease her child, Song described Liberia as a wonderland.

"In that beautiful place, someone is sick and needs medical staff like me to go check on them," Song said.

This year, the scenario repeated itself.

Hundreds of military medical staff have been mobilized and sent to the frontline of the battle against the new coronavirus. Wuhan, which has been quarantined since January 23, was running short on medical professionals and equipment.

Song Caiping's son hugs her goodbye before she leaves to Wuhan Chinese New Year's eve. /Tencent News Photo

On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, an occasion for family reunion, Song was ordered to lead 48 medical staff to Wuhan. She packed her bags and left home before the clock struck midnight.

As her husband and son accompanied her to the hospital to see her off, the boy, now 16, was more reserved and less expressive, though he could not help but hold on to his mother while saying goodbye to her.

Song receives an injection before traveling to Wuhan. /Tencent News Photo

Song has given all her energy to her task in Wuhan, and according to her colleague, she has slept less than seven hours in the first few night after they arrived in the city.

She's been busy teaching young nurses different techniques and encouraging them to be confident.

Song shares her experience with nurses. /Tencent News Photo

"Remember, the place where we are standing is our battlefield. As long as we are bold, careful and intelligent, we can unite to defeat the virus and complete the task," Song said.

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