Simulation Game: Crisis Management

Chapter 557 - 252: Epidemiological History

Although MERS has the highest fatality rate for older patients or those with multiple underlying diseases, given Jin Zhijiu’s current physical condition, the likelihood of him becoming seriously ill is relatively low.

But once infected, it would still greatly impact his physical state, logical thinking, and so on.

The most crucial point is that the virus would restrict his freedom.

Gu Ji certainly can’t be running around everywhere after getting infected with MERS, can he?

But right now, he can’t worry about that; he must quickly gather more information and intelligence for analysis and evaluation.

Despite relying on his memory of public health knowledge to roughly understand the event’s context,

written records cannot replace the full reality. They are merely summaries and frameworks, often with just a few words hinting at discussions and actions involving hundreds of government officials and medical personnel.

Furthermore.

This challenge is also an excellent opportunity to test whether the [classic mode] can change history.

"It’s a pity that, judging from the game’s rollout time, no matter what, I can’t prevent MERS from entering South Korea. I can only do my best to minimize its transmission scale."

Gu Ji followed behind the white-haired man and soon arrived at the first-floor respiratory department.

According to the biological safety classification of viruses.

Viruses that cause severe diseases in humans or animals or lead to significant economic losses fall into Category III, such as the HIV, SARS virus, and MERS, which also belongs to this level.

In response to emerging Category III and imported infectious viruses,

when a clinical diagnosis confirms the case, the medical institution should report to the local government CDC control center as quickly as possible within two hours and provide infectious report information.

Then the CDC in the district will immediately send professionals from the infectious department to the confirmed virus location to conduct epidemiological investigations and emergency management.

So from this perspective,

the game’s objective is actually consistent with Gu Ji’s initial handling direction.

The advantage of the MERS level compared to the cruise ship level is that it’s not a closed scene.

As long as he can confirm the virus and report it to the CDC, he can gain a large amount of resources and personnel support from the central government in Seoul, Korea, which is impossible to achieve at the cruise ship level.

However, everything has two sides.

Precisely because MERS occurs on land, the number of people involved, epidemiological information, and the difficulty of venue lockdown control is also several times that of the cruise ship level!

Therefore,

the earlier intervention to control the virus before it spreads on a large scale, the easier the subsequent handling will be.

Thus, Gu Ji took out his phone, searched for the number of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), and dialed the number without hesitation.

"Annyeonghaseyo..."

"Hello, this is Jin Zhijiu, a prosecutor from the Seoul Central District Prosecution’s Public Security Department. While investigating a case at the hospital, I discovered that an adult male is suspected of carrying a severe infectious disease. I hope you can send someone to investigate as soon as possible! Yes, the location is the emergency department of Seoul Shansang Hospital."

He knows very well that without confirmed evidence, the CDC is hard to convince.

After all, various government departments in South Korea receive up to hundreds of thousands of nuisance calls daily. To attract the other’s attention, he can only use his identity.

Since the game arranged for him to play this role, he should make full use of all resources.

The moment "Prosecutor from the Public Security Department" rolls off the tongue, surely the KCDC would be worried, as they specialize in investigating terrorist attacks and major public safety incidents.

After hanging up the phone,

inside the department, the white-haired man’s condition seemed more severe. The persistent high fever and cough made him unable to stand independently, forcing him to tremble and lean against the examination bed by the wall.

Gu Ji stood outside the door listening.

The one in charge of the inquiry was a middle-aged man in his forties, with single eyelids and slender eyes, wearing black-framed glasses, his demeanor serious and earnest. The chest name tag on his white coat reads: Respiratory Department Chief Physician, Han Zaiyuan.

"Professor Han, the patient says he aches all over, feels cold and short of breath. I measured it, and his temperature and blood pressure are both very high."

The female nurse reported the condition observed at the triage station.

It’s already mid to late May, and Korea’s temperature rises daily, but the white-haired elder still wore a gray cotton jacket, showing how severe his symptoms of intolerance to cold are.

Han Zaiyuan approached with a stethoscope and thermometer.

"Take the temperature again. How long have these symptoms lasted?"

"Cough cough... it’s been five or six days, I think. I got some medication from a clinic near my home before, but it didn’t help, so I went to Pingze Mary Hospital, but the symptoms got worse, so I ended up here."

"Have you had pneumonia before? How’s your heart?"

"No, I have high blood pressure, and my heart isn’t very good..."

For every question Han Zaiyuan asked, the white-haired man gave an answer.

Soon, the doctor positioned the stethoscope from the patient’s abdomen to his chest.

At this close proximity, every cough from the white-haired man would send airflow and droplets toward the top of Han Zaiyuan’s head.

MERS is transmitted in two ways:

Respiratory transmission and close contact transmission, like via saliva, blood, and air.

In the current situation, engaging in close conversation without wearing a mask is very likely to result in infection.

"Indeed, there’s some arrhythmia and murmurs. Xizhen, after we measure the temperature, take the patient for a chest X-ray and CT scan."

"Okay, Professor Han."

"Wait a moment."

Just as Nurse Xizhen agreed with Han Zaiyuan, a voice from outside the door suddenly interrupted — it was Gu Ji.