I had the honor to interview Laura, a Chinese student studying in the UK, and learned a lot of important details that should be paid attention to before and after infection, as well as different modes of treating COVID-19 in China and the UK.

Author: Zhao Gang Editor-in-chief of China Education Online International Education

In mid-December 2021, WHO once again issued a warning for the dissemination of Omickron to the world. How harmful is this latest mutant strain? How should Chinese students respond after they are infected with the new coronavirus overseas? I had the honor to interview Laura, a recovered person from the COVID-19 and a Chinese student studying in the UK, and learned a lot of important details that should be paid attention to before and after the infection, as well as the different modes of treating COVID-19 in China and the UK.

01 The nucleic acid test was positive! I was really panicked

In early November 2021, Laura, who ended her study in the UK, moved to London after traveling around the southern part of the UK, preparing to take the plane from London to return to China to reunite with her family.

"I feel very tired when I arrived in London. Maybe I was having a little crazy." Laura, who had just stopped from her nervous British studies and non-stop travel, didn't care much at first, and felt that she would get better after a night of sleep. Besides, London has almost the lowest number of cases per 100,000 people among major UK cities.

However, the fatigue did not relieve for two consecutive days, and the throat and diarrhea continued. Laura became alert and did the nucleic acid test for , and the result was positive.

"It is impossible to determine whether he was infected in London. I guess he was infected along the way." After Laura was diagnosed, according to the regulations of the British Medical Insurance System (NHS), she scanned the code to register with her mobile phone and entered the self-isolation period for the new coronavirus pneumonia.

"I usually take care of myself. Delta virus is indeed very contagious. Diarrhea is one of the symptoms of this mutant virus infection. Although it is not serious, I became a patient with COVID-19. I was really a little panicked at that time."

. At this time, the phone ringtone that I didn't want to hear the least rang-Laura didn't answer the phone number at home. She wanted to hide it from her home and wait until it's done.

But I couldn't stand the urging of my parents to return to China, Laura had to confess.

02 Chinese Student Rehabilitation Group: How many Chinese students studying in the UK have been infected with the new crown?

In June 2020, the Cultural and Education Department of the British Embassy in China officially announced that at that time, only three Chinese students studying in the UK were diagnosed with the new coronavirus and had no deaths.

Among the Chinese people studying in the UK with more than 100,000 people per year, the accuracy of the official news of three infections is difficult to convince. Moreover, the NHS refused to provide information on Chinese student infection to Chinese institutions abroad on the grounds of personal privacy protection, and the authoritative statistics on confirmed cases of Chinese students studying in the UK have always been missing.

"Before she got the new crown, she had no idea about the size of the confirmed group of Chinese students in the UK." Laura mentioned that after she was infected, she found different "Chinese student rehabilitation groups" on online social platforms. One of the groups she joined had more than 400 patients and recovered COVID-19 patients and recovered people. "

The patient's group to keep warm and relieved Laura's pressure. She received valuable information and selfless help from the "people who have experienced it" in the group. She also consulted domestic experts about the response measures after infection through netizens. She was told to supplement protein (2 eggs a day to make egg custard ), keep indoor ventilation, eat more vitamins, etc.

Laura also took Lotus Qingwen, 3 times a day, 4 pills each time.

03 Is "British Medical Insurance" effective?

After the new crown was diagnosed, the "treatment" of patients in China and the UK was very different.

"I should be more adapted to the domestic epidemic prevention and treatment model: go to the hospital if you are sick, and be isolated and treated in the hospital. In any case, there must be someone in charge of the patient. "Laura mentioned the differences in the medical system between China and the UK with emotion.

" In the UK, the NHS also manages it, but it rarely manages it. "On the "British Medical Insurance" NHS website, the measure after the diagnosis of new coronavirus pneumonia is basically self-isolation.

"I had a sore throat during the quarantine. I contacted the NHS and hoped to take some anti-inflammatory drugs. The NHS sent volunteers to deliver medicine to my home. I think this service is still very considerate."

Laura's condition was characterized as a "mild symptom" and could not get help from the hospital. This stage is not "seeing a doctor", but "seeing a doctor" - watching yourself get sick.

" You can always go to the hospital after you have severe illness, right? But what I had experienced in a patient in the group was very desperate. This friend had a high fever and had difficulty breathing after being diagnosed. He called an ambulance and hoped to be hospitalized for treatment. However, after a brief examination was given to him by the emergency center, the staff of the emergency center determined that he did not need to be hospitalized and asked him to continue self-isolation. "

The triage system of British medical is highly refined, and its purpose is to allocate the best medical resources to the most needed acute and critically ill patients. Therefore, "queuing" is everywhere, but the queue in the UK is not crowded in the hospital, but waiting at home.

Although this greatly alleviates the tight medical resources and ensures overall medical fairness, for individuals who lack professional medical knowledge and diagnostic capabilities, it is difficult to judge whether they have a severe reaction. The risk of delaying treatment exists.

Laura purchased blood oxygen meter online to self-test blood oxygen indicators, which is an important reference for the treatment of COVID-19.

04 The new crown in the UK is regarded as "flu"? Can Omickron survive it by himself?

In the UK, it is also beneficial for no one to "take care of" new coronavirus patients.

"The new coronavirus pneumonia is no different from influenza in the British concept. I live in a student apartment in London. During the quarantine period, I will explain my condition to my new roommates who are staying in - to be precise, 'floor friends', living on the same floor, with different rooms, sharing kitchens and living rooms. However, foreign roommates did not feel inconvenient, as if nothing had happened. "

Laura said gratefully, "The staff of the student apartment take good care of me. They go to the room to disinfect it the next day, and they will also deliver the takeaway I ordered online to the door of the room. "

" In the UK, online ordering and shopping are also common. Delivery may not be as fast as domestically, but the efficiency is completely acceptable. "

About 10 days after the diagnosis, Laura felt that her symptoms were significantly relieved. At 14 days, she went for a nucleic acid test and turned "yin"!

In fact, drug intervention is very limited and basically heals itself. Of course, there is also a dose of "medicine", which works better than anything else.

" During the period of quarantine, the number of times I communicated with my family almost exceeded the total of my previous study abroad period. "At the beginning, my family and I were very worried, and later they were afraid that each other would worry, and the topic became easier and easier.

Laura was a little worried about the unprecedented rapid spread of Omickron.

" There is a saying in the group that even if recovered recovered people encounter Omickron, the risk of reinfection still exists. "

Of course, epidemic prevention experts generally believe that while the virus is infectious, the harm continues to decline. Even if Omickron is caught, there is no need to worry too much. The possibility of self-healing is very high.

Seeing that people who have received the vaccine do not wear masks and are unscrupulous, Laura reminded, "In any case, personal daily protection needs to be strengthened. Vaccination does not mean that they will not get the new crown, but vaccines can greatly prevent the disease from turning into severe illness.

05 I want to go home!

Laura is cured, but she still has nowhere to go back to China and home.

"The official procedures for returning from the UK are stricter." Laura needs to undergo two nucleic acid tests, take X-rays, and then enter the "recovery channel" pre-examination procedure required by the official institution for up to 6 weeks.

Considering the domestic entry control during the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Paralympics, Laura no longer expects to return to China to reunite with her family before the Spring Festival.

"My family didn't urge me, so I told me not to worry and go home steadily according to the program." Laura said.

In addition to policy factors, public opinion is also hindering the return home.

For example, it is difficult to understand the situation of "dead" employment in China.Laura heard a returnee recovered from overseas saying that when he returned to China to find a job, he mentioned that he had suffered COVID-19 in the UK, and was disqualified from applying for the job on the spot by the Human Resources Department.

"I'm all cured, there are no sequelae, nor are they contagious. I wonder if I will be rejected?" In fact, as early as the SARS period in 2003 and for a long time afterwards, the indifference and even discrimination towards recovered people attracted widespread attention from the public.

During the epidemic, the entire Chinese student group’s journey to return to China is full of hardships, and those who recover from the new crown need to bear greater psychological pressure.

Compared with 2020, the number of confirmed cases of the global COVID-19 epidemic is still at a high level, but the harm has dropped significantly. In other words, the impact of the epidemic on China's overseas study market has weakened significantly.

But it is not a factor in the epidemic, including policies and public opinion, and is still full of variables for Chinese students.