Zhong Nanshan (left), a renowned epidemiologist, plays a key role in China’s battle against COVID-19. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Amid the darkness and devastation of the epidemic, he was a shining light. 

In late January 2020, two photos went viral in China’s cyberspace. In one picture, an apparently weary Zhong Nanshan could be seen dozing on a high-speed train. Another showed two train tickets from Guangzhou to Wuhan on Jan 18.

The photos sparked a buzz among netizens as they wondered why the elderly doctor was doing something that he had warned others against — travelling to Wuhan, where there were reports of people falling ill from an unknown virus.

It was the evening of Jan 18, and the travel rush for Chinese New Year was in full swing. All of the high-speed train tickets from Guangzhou to Wuhan were sold out, but after a fair bit of trouble, Zhong, who was 83 at that time, was able to get a standing-room ticket and hurriedly boarded train number G1022 bound for Wuhan.

After mercifully finding a seat in the train’s dining car, he mulled over all of the news he had heard recently from his students and other sources. As the head of a national team of high-level medical and epidemic control experts, Zhong felt a growing sense of apprehension as the train drew closer to Wuhan. 

The epidemic seemed both similar to and different from the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, that the world witnessed in 2003, and at that moment no one knew how dangerous the novel coronavirus was. The stress that Zhong felt was out of concern for the lives of the patients. 

On Jan 20, the National Health Commission organized a press conference with its high-level expert team. With a stern expression on his face, team leader Zhong said, “We can now say with certainty that there is person-to-person transmission,” a pronouncement that paved the way for a massive campaign across the nation to contain the spread of the virus.

That same night, Zhong delivered an urgent address to the public via live television broadcast, again confirming that there was person-to-person transmission. As if an alarm bell had rung out, the general public quickly started to become aware of the novel coronavirus epidemic. 

It was not the first time that Zhong stood out and sounded the alarm during a public health emergency. In 2003, he proposed that a novel coronavirus was behind the SARS epidemic, challenging the then prevailing belief that chlamydia was the culprit.

He also pointed out that the spread of the virus in Beijing had not been effectively controlled, telling an inconvenient truth. He eventually helped move the capital’s epidemic prevention and control efforts onto the right track.

“In science, it is only right to seek truth from facts, and not to play safe, otherwise patients will be the victims. What is not in books, we explore through practice,” Zhong said in an interview.

“This spirit of seeking truth from facts is his most precious quality,” said Ran Pixin, director of the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases of Guangzhou Medical University. Ran has been studying and working with Zhong since 1993.

“During the epidemic, ordinary Chinese said they would listen to Zhong’s advice when they need to decide on whether to go out or not. It showed people’s genuine trust and appreciation for him,” said Ran.

At a recent meeting, Zhong said that China’s vaccination against the novel coronavirus is expected to reach the herd immunity level by the end of 2021. 

“As many as 1.15 billion people in China have already been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, laying a solid foundation for herd immunity in the country,” said Zhong, who is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

He estimated that China’s vaccination rate would be able to reach over 83 percent by the end of the year.

(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Recently, Zhong called for joint efforts by Chinese scientists and their international counterparts to develop vaccines against Omicron, the new variant of the novel coronavirus, which has posed new challenges in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has now become a new normal, and it has to be handled in a systemic, scientific and standardized way,” he said.

“We know little about the Omicron variant — from the source, its transmission rule and pathogenic mechanism to the therapeutic targets of the virus. We also know little about vaccine antibody and drug research against the variant,” said Zhong.

The top priority to contain the virus is vaccination, he said.

Apart from being a leading coronavirus expert, Zhong is also known as a gallant fighter on anti-virus front lines and an optimist in regard to China’s ability to tame highly infectious diseases.

From SARS to COVID-19, whenever a serious threat has put people’s lives at stake, Zhong has been there. During the SARS outbreak, the Guangdong-based doctor saved many lives by carefully formulating therapeutic solutions, which helped the southern Chinese province become one of the regions with the highest cure rate and the lowest mortality rate of SARS patients in the world.

At the end of January last year, when Wuhan was gripped by the COVID-19 epidemic, Zhong made a proclamation that boosted national morale: “Wuhan has been a heroic city. With the support of the whole country, Wuhan will definitely pass the test.”

The renowned epidemiologist was bestowed with the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor in China, in August 2020.

On Sept 8, 2020, Zhong received the award from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Zhong was described in an official statement as a leading expert in respiratory disease research and a “brave, outspoken and responsible doctor” who proposed epidemic prevention and control measures that saved numerous lives and made a great contribution to fighting both SARS and COVID-19.

The award was in recognition of his courage in confronting dangerous diseases and speaking out in the national fight against COVID-19. 

He led the formulation of coronavirus diagnosis and treatment plans, and has made great contributions to epidemic prevention and control, treatment of severe cases, and COVID-19 research.

From the fight against SARS in 2003 to the battle with H1N1 in 2009, Zhong has time and time again helped soothe the fears of the public, and demonstrated his sense of duty as a scientist through his tireless efforts. Hanging on his wall at home is a piece of calligraphy that reads “Courage to treat, courage to speak.” The words perfectly encapsulate his strength of character.

In November, Zhong and his team also won the 2020 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award’s Innovation Team Award for tackling difficult respiratory ailments including SARS, COVID-19, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Despite advancing years, the doctor remains committed to his mission. 

“We will join hands with national and international medical workers to overcome difficulties in tracing the virus’ origins, cutting off transmission, creating rapid diagnostic kits and new drugs, and strive to make breakthroughs in saving severe cases and developing vaccines,” Zhong said.

On China’s internet, Zhong is famous for another identity: He has become an unusual icon in the country’s fitness and sports sector. Photos showing the muscular doctor working out in a gym, lifting dumbbells or running on a treadmill and playing basketball in his 80s, have gone viral online, drawing respect for his discipline in exercising and staying fit.

Since both his parents were famous medical experts, Zhong grew up in a family with medical traditions and he was encouraged to do physical exercise from a young age. Now he often leads his own family members to do outdoor activities together in their spare time.

However, in a rare admission of weariness during an interview with ifeng.com in April, Zhong said he had “aged a lot” in the past year.

“There is so much work to do, and I am feeling overloaded,” he said. From managing the national respiratory research center, to participating in international meetings, Zhong said some tasks require him “to rack his brains”.

“But I have found comfort and happiness in my work,” he said.

Nowadays, Zhong still works at the very front lines of medical service as head of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, and teaches at Guangzhou Medical University.

His patients describe him as a considerate doctor, who would warm the stethoscope before use.

Zhong has also kept in close contact with international medical research circles.

In 2009, The Lancet, an international journal of clinical medicine, published the top three papers of 2008, including one led by Zhong that received the highest number of votes.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Zhong has been busy attending international events to introduce China’s anti-virus experience, and discuss the global strategy.

Since March, Zhong has participated in over 20 online meetings with medical professionals from North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, according to the InterAcademy Partnership, a global network of science academies.

In those meetings, Zhong promoted his team’s philosophy of “early detection, diagnosis, examination and treatment” in fighting the COVID-19 to the global community.

“Because we have gone through a difficult journey, we should support each other and let other countries take fewer detours through exchanges,” he said.

Xinhua, Qiushi and Wang Xiaoyu in Beijing contributed to this story.