Doctor Recounts 100 Gruelling Days Of Covid In HK

A doctor on the frontline of Hong Kong's fight against Covid-19 spoke on Friday of her own physical and mental struggles, with exactly 100 days passing since the SAR recorded its first case of the disease.

Dr Helen Chan, an associate consultant working in the infectious diseases team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, told RTHK how she volunteered to work on the isolation wards there back in January.

Her arduous days begin at 7am. Aside from the long hours, the pandemic has also been chipping away at her mental and physical health she said, with even the need for constant hand washing taking a toll.

"If there are 10 confirmed patients and some suspected cases... three to four times hand washing (per patient) means 40 to 50 times (per day)," she said, leaving her hands swollen, covered in scratches, and irritated from the sanitisers.

Chan said she hasn't felt able to go home for months, staying in hotels out of fear she could infect her relatives with the virus. The only contact with the family is when her mother delivers meal boxes to her, in a park.

"Twice a week, I receive the meal box at the park so I can eat back in the hotel room. I know my mum is worried about me," she said.

Chan said she had come under the greatest physical and mental pressure in March, when the city saw a spike in coronavirus infections.

She said that at that point, she could see no end to the crisis, with patient after patient coming in with Covid-19.

Chan recalled how the family of one patient, who had a stage four cancer, wasn't able to be with him when he died.

She said because of the isolation rules, the family were only able to say their goodbyes from a distance, and from the other side of a window.

"I feel that, even though we are scared, we haven't given up on the patients," Chan said, adding that she has no regrets about volunteering to work on the isolation wards.

Struggling to hold back tears, she said she hopes the people of Hong Kong will continue to keep wearing masks and won't drop their guard against the virus.