05.04.2020.
Dr Peng Zhiqiang, the head of the Chinese expert team: We have come to help you
In the April issue, ODBRANA Magazine interviews the head of the Chinese expert team staying in Serbia, Dr Peng Zhiqiang of the Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in which the prominent Chinese expert talks about the nature of Covida-19, working on a vaccine, China's experiences, the measures taken in Serbia, and the role of the military in a state of emergency during the epidemic.
Dr Peng Zhiqiang said that measures had to be taken in Serbia, "a state of emergency was declared, curfews were introduced, borders were closed, and these are all good and effective measures to control the epidemic."
Talking about the nature of Covid-19, Dr Peng said it was a new type of coronavirus and according to the current findings, it is similar to SARS and MERS."Its resilience is similar to theirs. So it stays longer in the cold. There has been some talk that it does not "like" heat, but according to recent experiences it is "not afraid" of it either. It can be destroyed after an hour’s exposure to plus 56 degrees Celsius. So it can survive in Africa. And there are infected people there as well.
However, it is easiest to appear in the cold," Dr Peng pointed out, adding that the virus can be most easily transmitted in the first two days before the onset of the disease and five days after the onset. It is most dangerous at that period.
Dr Peng says that the most effective protection measure against the coronavirus is wearing a mask.
„Wear masks. Only masks. When you wear a mask, it is one of the most effective methods of protection“.
Sharing experiences from China, he says that isolation is the best measure to prevent the spread of this epidemic.
"Although some people who were subjected to isolation did not feel well because it is not easy to be isolated for 14 days, the isolation was accepted. They knew that that was the only way to defeat this disease, and adhering to the measures prescribed by the Chinese government. However, these people were not isolated at home but in other places, such as hotels or specially designated places. Everyone understood that they needed to cooperate with the Government, to respect the measures it had imposed and that it was good for the community, so they acted accordingly. "
Dr Peng also points out that the healthcare system is not the only one that has to bear the burden of fighting the coronavirus, highlighting the Chinese example. "The whole community, many institutions, not just the healthcare system, participated in this fight. And it was only through a joint social effort that we were able to defeat this virus”.
When asked what the likelihood is that someone who has been infected and recovered will be infected again, Dr Peng believes that "the likelihood is not high".But the vaccine is certainly the most effective cure for the epidemic. "Now both China and America are working on their vaccines. Americans have their type, and we have ours. Vaccines have already been tested on animals in China, and clinical trials are now underway on human volunteers," says Dr Peng, noting that after the clinical trials are completed, it will take another three months for the vaccine to be officially used. “So, around the end of June," estimates the Chinese expert.
Dr Peng particularly emphasizes the great role of the Chinese military in the suppression of the epidemic.
"The military worked on creating mobile hospitals, tasked a large number of people with rescuing and assisting people. Their discipline and experience in implementing certain measures are of particular importance," said Dr Peng and praised the engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces, highlighting the example of speedy and efficient establishment of temporary hospitals.
The message of Dr Peng Zhiqiang, head of the Chinese expert team staying in Serbia, at the end of his interview with „Odbrana” magazine is that “our two countries are connected by traditional friendship – friendship made of steel”. He said that they knew this even before coming to Serbia, and that they will leave here even more convinced that this is the great truth that binds the two peoples.
