Plague Doctor

“Due to the recent appearance of a new strain of legionella pneumonia, the city will be placed under lockdown after 19:00 on August the 3rd. Please return home as soon as possible. Please do not panic and wait for imminent evacuation…” On the television screen, the male host announced seriously. His tone was severe yet powerful, filled with confidence needed to win over the disease. In San Hai City, every channel broadcasted this latest news. The internet was brought under control, and every phone in the city received similar messages that came every few minutes. The announcement arrived at 2 pm, and the lockdown would start at 7 pm. There was not much time for people to prepare, causing unrest in the citizens.

Some wanted to hop onto their cars and leave San Hai City but they discovered with despair that all exits were blocked off. Others hurried to the supermarket to buy necessary provisions but they were stumped to find all the supermarkets and malls closed. In the news, the host had explained it quite clearly. This new strain of legionella pneumophilia relied on airborne transmission. Even though it originated from nature, the bacteria could fester in manmade ventilation and supply channels like the heating vents, water pipes and air-conditioning vents. These channels inadvertently helped spread the bacteria through the circulation of infected aerated solids. Exposure to the bacteria would cause symptoms like fever, sweaty profusion, difficulty in breathing and coughing. Therefore, places like stadiums and malls were the most dangerous because they were huge health risks.

All air-conditioning units as well as humidifiers and heaters in the city were immediately shut down. On the midnight of the 4th, the city would cut off water supply so citizens were advised to shore up on water. However, they were not for immediate consumption. If needs be, the water had to be put away for at least 10 hours before consumption. Stored water was to be moved away from exposed faucets. Citizens were advised to remain calm until quarantine and evacuation. Government officials would patrol the city section by section to isolate the suspected and confirmed patients, and sequester them from the rest.

“Please wait at home patiently.” The host stressed. “Please do not panic.”

The news script naturally was revised again and again to minimize the panic as much as it could. For example, instead of saying there was an ‘outbreak’, it was an ‘appearance’ of legionella pneumonia. Those who had medical background though frowned with confusion at the reports. With their knowledge, they knew that traditional legionella pneumonia was not that infectious so the anomaly must have to do with this new strain. They wondered what kind of mutation it had undergone…

Regardless, everyone felt the seriousness of the lockdown. It had been six years since Lee Mingqiu graduated from university. He was 30 years old and worked as a programmer at an IT company.

Once the announcement was made that afternoon, the whole company was gripped by worry. Everyone wished to get off work early but the supervisors said that all workers should wait at the company for the evacuation notices. “Those who have children at home can leave but the choices are open to the rest. The traffic outside is a mess and there are people everywhere, the chance of infection is probably higher if you leave the company.” That was the truth. Looking out from the company window, people scurried down the streets and the vehicles could barely move, the traffic system was practically paralyzed.

Since Lee Mingqiu was not a local and single, he had no reason to return to the apartment he shared with his roommate, he chose to stay at the company. About half of his colleagues made the same decision. Not all who left had to return to take care of their children, some went fighting for provisions. “Who knows when the evacuation notice will come. This bacteria can travel through water so I need to store up on boxes of mineral water.” Others thought these people were over-reacting, saying, “It’s probably nothing.”

The company’s central air-conditioning system was switched off. In the middle of the summer, the office space instantly turned into an oven. To make things worse, they were forbidden from opening the windows. “This might be more serious than a bout of atypical pneumonia…””Yes, that is true from how urgent the city had issued the lockdown.”

The people who remained sat at their cubicles. After the initial intense discussion, most conversations had died down. Suddenly, Wei Xiaoru, who had been talking on her phone with a doctor friend, suddenly sighed openly, “My friend said there are many different strains of legionella pneumonia bacteria but we are probably dealing with a new one, one that is different from any known strain. Good air circulation is necessary to prevent festering of the bacteria as it deprives them of the ideal environment to grow.”

“Then why are we keeping the windows closed?” Zhang Dawei demanded. This was also a question that crossed everyone’s mind.

Wei Xiaoru thought for a while before answering, “The main medium of transmission for the bacteria is the aerated solid mentioned in the news, but normally the bacteria can only travel for less than 200 metres through the air and survive for less than 1 hour in water. But since the news advised us to keep all windows closed and warn of the imminent cut of water supply, my friend concluded that there can only 3 possibilities. First, the new strain has more transmission mediums and can travel further through the air and survive longer in water; Secondly, that the disease control centre believes that… San Hai City has already been fully contaminated. Lastly, it is the combination of both.”

The group looked at each other. Despite their lack of medical knowledge, they knew how serious things were. Transmitted through air and water? But human beings needed to breathe and drink to survive!

“The whole city is contaminated?” Zhang Dawei said angrily, “How can that be? Or they have been hiding this from us for a long time already and it is not until now that they think evacuation is necessary?”

“According to my friend…” Wei Xiaoru was confused too. “The epidemic probably grew too fast for the government to do anything.”

People were worried and anxious but they could do nothing but wait. They waited until 7 pm. Sound of sirens filled the city, announcing the start of the lockdown. They looked out the office window, the streets were now deserted. Only vehicles from disease control and quarantine centres as well as groups of members in white protective gear passed the streets occasionally. They accosted people still on the street and carried them away. It had already been stated in the news that encounters with the disease control members would only increase the infection rate so citizens were advised to stay out of the streets. The captured citizens would not be sent away from San Hai City but sent for inspection, suspicion of infection would land them in forced quarantine and treatment. After the siren faded away, a broadcast could be heard all over the city, “Please return home immediately…”

The news also said that should one discover someone with symptoms around, one needed to stay away from them immediately and call the hotline for help; if one suffered from the symptoms, one should also call the hotline to seek immediate treatment.

There was one question that bothered Lee Qiuming, ‘Why is the government evacuating the patients before the normal citizens?’ Probably as Wei Xiaoru’s friend had claimed, the whole San Hai City was contaminated already…

The illness had a latent period so it was hard to tell who was infected and who was not. A single victim could expand the infection radius indefinitely. Therefore, evacuation could not be made that easily. First, they needed time for the victims of the sickness to surface, to weed out the unhealthy ones from the rest. Then those who remained would probably be the only ones who were allowed to evacuate to another city…

The office was silent when suddenly Lin Mingda, a colleague who normally kept to himself, started to cough. Instantly the rest whipped their heads towards him. Lin Mingda’s face had blanched by several degrees.

‘Oh no.’ Lee Mingqiu’s heart tightened and he felt woozy. Wei Xiaoru next to him had color drained from her face.

“Ah!” Zhang Dawei jumped backwards and gasped nervously, “Call the hotline, quickly call the hotline…”

“I, I…” Lin Mingda wanted to say something but it was swallowed up by his endless hacking, “I, cough, cough…”