Videos share China's COVID-19 experiences

The novel coronavirus knows no borders, so a group of Chinese medical school alumni and students are endeavoring to spread China's experience beyond borders by translating disease control videos.

Their first production－a 30-minute video with English and French subtitles in which front-line experts in Wuhan, Hubei province, and Shanghai share practical intensive care unit experience during the novel coronavirus outbreak－was viewed more than 10,000 times within two days of it being uploaded on the internet.

Many doctors in foreign countries have expressed their thanks.

"The informative video is spreading faster than the virus in Europe. I deeply admire your work," said Dietrich Pape, a doctor from Luxembourg.

In addition, Turkish doctor Munir Azizy expressed his eagerness to get further updates about medical work in China after viewing the video.

Encouraged by the warm response, the group produced its second video, in which Chen Wei, a doctor from Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, discusses infection prevention measures. It was released on video websites on March 31.

In the two-minute video, Chen introduces the layout of isolation wards in intensive care units and shares information on standard personal protective equipment, including how to put it on and take it off.

"We were bombarded with emails from doctors overseas treating COVID-19 cases, expressing appreciation for our efforts in producing the first video," said Cao Yuqin, who was among the 27 alumni and students from the Sino-French Medical College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine who worked on the translation and subtitling of the videos. "They mentioned protection of healthcare workers was an imperative issue and requested Chinese advice, which encouraged us to follow up with the second video."

Cao, a 24-year-old student, said several group members watched the live broadcast on March 16 and found it fairly practical. For example, experts exchanged their actual operation procedures of ventilation in prone position as a respiratory support for patients, and some mentioned complications coming along in actual patient cases and how they were coped with.

The alumni and students, including working doctors in China, the United States and European countries, as well as a veteran interpreter in Paris, soon reached an agreement to translate the materials.

"Some European countries are challenged with medical resource shortages, and an overwhelming number of critically ill patients, a situation which Wuhan also encountered in the initial stage of the outbreak," Cao said. "We hope that such experience from China can assist doctors abroad. Our efforts would prove worthwhile even if only one doctor felt it was helpful and one more life was saved."

The group's efforts won support from the school, the Shanghai Medical Association and the Shanghai Medical Doctor Association, which permitted them to edit, translate and publish the video.

Cao, who coordinated the group of medical school alumni and students, said several senior alumni－including a woman specializing in critical medical care in France and one working at a top Chinese hospital who was sent to Wuhan－were responsible for selecting content from the original two-hour Chinese video.

Several of them, including the Paris-based interpreter, were responsible for ensuring that the subtitles were accurate, professional and understandable and informative to foreign healthcare workers.

It took the group a week to make the video, and they promoted it on social platforms and through networks of alumni working overseas.