Covid-19 Has Impacted Countries I Have Been To新冠病毒深刻改变了我访问过的国家-1

李林博士是澳大利亚墨尔本的一位公共卫生专家。他曾经参加过很多卫生领域的国际合作项目，并因工作需要访问过英国、美国、中国、日本、新加坡等众多国家。他希望通过这个叫“新冠病毒深刻改变了我曾经访问过的许多国家”的视频系列节目分享他的经历和思考，希望对全球抗击新冠疫情的努力有所贡献，对创建更富强、更健康的国际社会有所帮助。该视频系列的第一集特别奉献给英国人民，尤其是千千万万为英国国家卫生服务体系（National Health Service， NHS）无私奉献的工作人员和志愿者。李林博士在十七年前曾经作为中国四川省一个卫生代表团的成员去考察学习过英国国家卫生服务体系并对其留下深刻印象。

Dr Lin Li is a public health professional who is based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been involved in many international health cooperative projects that brought him to the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and some other countries. He hopes by sharing his experience and reflections through this video series collectively titled “How Covid-19 has impacted countries that I have been to”, he can contribute to the global efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and help to build a stronger and healthier international community. Part 1 of the video series is dedicated to British people, particularly to the thousands of staff and volunteers of the National Health Service (NHS), an excellent institution that he has admired since his first visit to the UK about 17 years ago.

How Covid-19 Has Impacted Countries That I have been to - Part 1, The United Kingdom

Hi everyone.

I’m Dr Lin Li. I am a public health professional in Australia. I am recording this video from my home here in Melbourne. Like many of you who are watching this video, my family and I have drastically changed our lifestyle due to the Covid-19 pandemic and I have been working from home since the 24^th of March 2020.

Why this video? A great question! It’s consistent with my passion and background in public health. I received my PhD in population health from the University of Melbourne in 2007. I have been a public health researcher and practitioner for all of my career, both in developed and developing countries, including my birth country China. I hope by sharing my experience and reflections through this video and subsequent ones, I can contribute to the global efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and help to build a stronger and healthier international community.

The title of this video series is “How Covid-19 has impacted countries that I have been to”, and in Part 1 today I will focus on the United Kingdom.

Over the past 20 years I have been involved in many international health cooperation projects, and through these projects I had the opportunity to visit many countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and China. All these beautiful countries have been impacted by Covid-19 pandemic since January 2020.

According to the latest update from the World Health Organization as of 26 April, globally the total confirmed cases are over 2.8 million, and about 194,000 people have been lost to the disease; the number of new cases is still rising. We are facing an unprecedented public health and economic crisis. As members of the global community, we can and should contribute to the coordinated efforts to stop the deadly virus.

The United Kingdom has been putting together an impressive response to the pandemic since late February 2020 when local transmission was first documented in the country, although controversy over apparent mistakes that the Government had made in the early stages of the response continued. Since new cases were reported locally in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in early March 2020, the governments, institutions and communities have made tremendous efforts to control the spread of the virus and save lives.

The first part of my video series is dedicated to the UK people, particularly to the thousands of staff and volunteers of the National Health Service (NHS), an excellent institution that I have admired since my first visit to the UK about 17 years ago.

Back in February-March 2003 I and other members of a Chinese health delegation had a three-week study tour of the UK health system, including its strategic objectives, funding sources and allocations as well as the principles and reform of NHS. During our tour we had opportunities to visit university hospitals, general practice sites and pharmacies across England and Scotland that were parts of the NHS system, and we were very impressed by the dedicated staff and the effective delivery of the health services in the communities.

At the London 2012 Olympics I watched on TV the British people and the world pay tribute to NHS at the Opening Ceremony. I was profoundly inspired. I could relate to the proud feelings of the British people for their world class taxpayer-funded health care system available to all in the UK.

On 26 March on TV I witnessed many people in different parts of the UK joined the Clap For Our Carers campaign to show their appreciation for the heroics of the NHS during the coronavirus period. I was deeply touched; subsequently I read many stories about people’s gratitude, tribute, good will, understanding and support for the important work and efforts of NHS staff and volunteers.

Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not escape the virus and was admitted to the ICU after becoming seriously ill. He has recovered and returned to work today. He expressed his gratitude to the NHS for saving his life.

The situation in the UK remains serious. As of 26 April there are more than 152,000 confirmed cases and over 20,000 people have died from the virus. As Home Secretary Priti Patel told the daily news conference, passing a total of 20,000 deaths was a “tragic and terrible milestone”.  It reminds us the extreme importance of coordinated efforts to stop the deadly virus.

Like so many British people I have faith in the national health services of UK health system. The tireless and dedicated work of thousands of frontline doctors, nurses and carers as well as the wide support and participation of hundreds of thousands of volunteers and community members provided a strong network to fight the virus. Citizens’ adherence of strict social distancing and self-isolation measures and precautions, as well as enhanced testing and surveillance give us reasons to be optimistic in the crisis. The government’s economic arrangements will greatly enhance citizens’ recovering from this crisis.

I believe in British resilience.

As a co-founder of the East West Partners for Education and Health ("East-West Health"),  I look forward to sharing with you more videos and stories about how people from different parts of the world are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, and working together to build strong and healthy communities across the globe.   

You can reach me through the following email address:

Dr Lin Li

Email:  [e-mail]

Thank you.

Stay safe and all the best.

 (Dr Li would like to thank Ms Kate Klingensmith for her constructive feedback on one of the speech drafts.)

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