We Are HKers - Alfred Wong | Being A Coronavirus Doctor

Alfred Wong is a cardiologist in a Hong Kong public hospital. In order to protect his family, he moved away to stay in a hotel, and has only seen his wife a few times so far.

“We chose to fight battles like this, but we didn’t choose to be in a position that we are fighting this pandemic at the same time to fight our own government. Medical workers in Hong Kong have been demanding for border closures and better protective gear. We must not let any of our colleagues sacrifice during this battle.
This is not the time to be heroic. ”

— Alfred

Article: Bloomberg Quick Take

Photographer: Bloomberg Quick Take

I have colleagues of mine writing death notes, their last wishes before they join the ‘dirty team’*.

It was an overnight shift of around 16-17 hours. There was only me and another doctor who covered the 5 isolation wards. People are quite tense. It is quite a stressful working environment I would say. In terms of both physical demands and emotional aspects.

There’s no proven cure for Covid-19 - the disease caused by this coronavirus. It is not something that you can really prepare yourself for. All of us would at some point go through the thinking process of worst comes to worst. What could happen to our family or our loved ones?

I shaved my head to make my protective gear more effective. I also moved away from my family to stay in a hotel. I only saw my wife a few times. We actually had dinner together on Valentine’s Day. The room is tiny but we sat around 3-4 meters (10-13 ft) away from each other on different tables. She was worried, I was worried, everyone was worried. She’s also pregnant, we are expecting our first child in April. My wife just sent me a video of her tummy moving with my daughter kicking inside. I miss them.

I’m not ready to end my life like this. I realise now more than ever, that it is not my own life. I owe this to my wife, my daughter to come, my parents, and my future patients.

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*Dirty team: A group of doctors who care for confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19.

Original Article: What’s It Like Being A Coronavirus Doctor?

(This story is taken from Bloomberg Quick Take and modified.)

【SHARED】Alfred Wong | Being A Coronavirus Doctor

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