January 25th marked the first day of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. For Chinese people, it is normally a time for family reunions and grand celebrations. But this year, instead of enjoying family time at home, a group of sixty medical workers from Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University First Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital joined a Beijing-based medical team rushing to Wuhan to help fight the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

As ground zero for the outbreak that began in December, Wuhan currently has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths due to the pneumonia caused by 2019-nCoV. To prevent more outbreaks in other areas, Wuhan imposed an emergency lockdown on January 23rd to limit the otherwise tremendous number of people that would be leaving the city to travel.

However, the number of suspected cases within the city are still on the rise and deaths are mounting up, so Wuhan is currently experiencing a significant shortage of medical personnel and supplies, making it even more difficult to combat this deadly virus.

Chinese Premier Li arrives in Wuhan to instruct virus control

Message received! Pekingers Assemble!

On the very first day of the Lunar New Year, medical staff from the three affiliated hospitals of Peking University, some with experience tackling SARS in 2003, left their families to lend their expertise to join a Wuhan relief team comprised of doctors and nurses trained in fields such as respiratory illnesses and intensive care. These brave men and women are now on the front line in the battle against the new coronavirus in Wuhan, putting their own lives at risk so that others have a better chance at survival.

The Medical Team from Peking University First Hospital

The Medical Team from Peking University People's Hospital

The Medical Team from Peking University Third Hospital

Back in Beijing, another team of student volunteers from the Peking University School of Public Health are working at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, helping staff there with the control and prevention of 2019-nCoV.

Because Beijing has launched a Level I emergency response to control and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Peking University has decided to postpone the 2020 Spring Semester. All students are requested to not return to campus before the start date, which has yet to be determined. Click "阅读原文" at the end of this article to find out more.

Seventeen years ago, hundreds of Pekingers rushed into the trenches of anti-SARS battlegrounds across the country, and some of them lost their lives in the fight.

Seventeen years later, Pekingers are answering the call once more.

It is the PKU spirit that encourages generations of Pekingers to selflessly combat the virus for their fellow citizens. We honor that spirit and will carry it on through our own efforts.

We wish our warriors safety and success in this fight!

Stay strong, Wuhan!

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Pekingers Assemble! PKU Medical Teams Rush to Wuhan

Writer: Pu Hairui

Editors: Amanda Hu, Trevor

Photos: Xinhua News, PKU Health Science Center

Designer: Pu Hairui