Prepared

As the 10th anniversary of SARS drew near, JW got loads of interviews. “One striking thing is that almost all reporters asked the same question in the end,” said JW. “Are we prepared for the next SARS outbreak?”

We were puzzled. In the past decade, we got a huge infectious disease center in the city center, and all big hospitals had built dozens of isolation rooms. We no longer need to worry about the supply of face masks and protective gowns. Of course we can never prepare for everything, but we are better prepared than ever.

“The point is,” JW explained, “we do have better hardwares. The reporters were asking about the preparedness of professionals. They saw that the best medical graduates all want the ROAD to success. Would they risk their lives for their patients when the need arises?”

We went silent. That said, aren’t the people working ten years ago still very much alive?

P.S. After the SARS outbreak, so many people said their lives were no longer the same and their values were changed. A few years later, the very same people hungered for fame and money more than ever. I am truly surprised how the experience could have so short an impact.