21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 456 452: Infection (Please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets)

When Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi arrived at the hospital as usual, they found the atmosphere to be unusually tense today.

All the nurses in the hospital lobby were wearing masks, as were the patients who had come for consultation. In addition, several junior nurses were spraying disinfectant, filling the entire lobby with its scent and lending the hospital an air of alarm and trepidation.

"What's going on? Even if epidemic prevention and control are necessary, there's no need to be this anxious, right?" Yu Chen stopped a junior nurse to ask.

"Professor Chen Yu! Good morning!" The stopped nurse greeted Yu Chen and hastened to explain: "It's like this, Professor, another infected patient was discovered in Tokyo Metropolis last night and was brought to the hospital this morning, so the director ordered us to carry out disinfection procedures."

"Another patient? And they were brought to our hospital?" Hiromi Jounouchi was immediately surprised. The transmission speed of this new type of pneumonia was simply too fast, wasn't it?

"Yes, and the infected individual is a national of our own country. They have already been isolated in the ICU ward and are under the direct care of Director Yamamoto of the Department of Internal Medicine," the junior nurse informed Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi. Although her face was concealed by a mask, her eyes undoubtedly showed signs of nervousness and worry.

Upon hearing that Yamamoto Hisae was personally treating the patient, Yu Chen had to admire his own teacher's formidable rival. In such times, taking on the treatment of a highly infectious patient, Yamamoto Hisae did not seem to be one of those bureaucratic doctors but rather showed some responsibility befitting a medical professional.

"Since they have been admitted, there's nothing to be done. Do a thorough job with the hospital's disinfection and epidemic prevention work. The virus primarily infects those with low immunity, and most patients in the hospital fall into this category, so protective measures must be taken," Yu Chen advised the junior nurse before he and Hiromi Jounouchi headed towards their office.

"Infection of a national... This must count as secondary transmission, right?" Hiromi Jounouchi also seemed a bit tense at the news that the infected person was a national, as this implied the virus had begun to spread within the country, rather than being confined to cases imported from affected areas.

"Yes, so the situation is getting somewhat serious. However, don't be too nervous. This virus has a much lower mortality rate than MARS. According to the statistics I checked yesterday, only 4% of patients have died so far, and the majority of the deceased are elderly or individuals with underlying diseases that compromise their immunity," Yu Chen explained to Hiromouchi Jounouchi.

However, despite saying this, all the patients in the hospital belonged to the group with lowered immunity. Particularly under Japan's tiered healthcare system, University Hospitals often handle various complicated cases or severe illnesses, which posed no issue usually, but given the current circumstances... if the virus were to spread, it would be like throwing a mouse into a rice bin.

Of course, although the hospital housed many susceptible individuals, it was also the place with the best protective measures in place. As long as the hospital's defenses held, the virus would not be able to spread within its walls.

But as this virus was unprecedented, would the hospital have adequate protective measures in place? Yu Chen couldn't help but worry.

After parting ways with Hiromi Jounouchi and changing into his white coat in his office, Yu Chen remained concerned. He decided to compile the various pieces of information he had collected about the new virus and planned to hand them over to Yamamoto Hisae.

Regardless of the complexity of the rivalry between internal and external medicine, one should not, especially at such a time, use patients' lives and health as tools for conflict.

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When Yu Chen arrived at the ICU, he found that a separate isolation area had been established, and everyone was clad in heavy protective gear.

Yu Chen was about to change into a protective suit to find Yamamoto Hisae when he saw her exiting the quarantine area, already in the process of removing her gear in the disinfection zone.

"Director Yamamoto, I heard that the hospital has admitted an infected patient. How is their condition?" After Yamamoto Hisae had taken off the heavy protective suit and other equipment and re-sanitized in the disinfection zone, Yu Chen approached her to inquire about the situation.

Yamamoto Hisae looked decidedly serious at this moment, her face bearing the marks left by her mask, clearly indicating she had been personally treating the patient.

Hearing Yu Chen's inquiry, she looked up at him, seemingly surprised to see him there but nonetheless explained, "Currently, the patient is in stable condition. Although there's inflammation-related exudation in the lungs, it's not severe. However, for this new type of disease, there are no effective drugs available at the moment. We can only provide supportive therapy, maintain their oxygen supply to ensure breathing, and allow for the self-recovery of lung function."

Upon hearing this from Yamamoto Hisae, Yu Chen nodded and handed over his collected data: "This is some relevant information I've collected from various websites. It should be of help to you, Director Yamamoto. This virus is highly transmissible, so please ensure that isolation and protective measures are stringent. Should the virus escape, the hospital is full of immunocompromised individuals prone to infection, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

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If it were any other time, Yamamoto Hisae would likely feel displeased by Yu Chen's words, but in this situation, she read the material he brought attentively, appreciating the Japanese translation, feeling both impressed and grateful that Yu Chen would do this now: "Thank you, Professor Chen Yu, your information is very timely! With this data, we can avoid some detours. On behalf of my colleagues in the Department of Internal Medicine, I thank you, Professor Chen Yu."

After speaking, Yamamoto Hisae said to a junior nurse nearby, "We must strengthen the quarantine of the ward. All medical personnel entering and leaving the quarantine area should not go home during this time. They need to be potentially isolated, among other precautions..."

While Yamamoto Hisae was issuing instructions, seeing Yu Chen still present, she stopped and said to him, "Professor Chen Yu, although I'm grateful for your help at such a time, this is still a potential infection area. Please leave for your safety, as it would be unfortunate if you were also infected."

"Alright, I won't distract you from your work any longer, Director Yamamoto. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask," Yu Chen understood and nodded, then turned to leave without delay.