Behind the mask

A daily look at how Hongkongers are dealing with the Sars outbreak. Today we speak to Lai Pui-kee, a nurse assigned to the Sars wards at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital.

Starting from tomorrow I will work in the Sars ward. I was switched from the accident and emergency department. Of course I am worried about being infected. Luckily we now have the necessary precautionary equipment and clear guidelines on what to do.

We learned about infectious diseases during our studies but it never really worried us because Hong Kong has no history of infectious outbreaks. That's why everyone's awareness was quite low. When a nurse died a few days ago we were all very shocked. Being a nurse you never expect to die in the line of duty like firefighters and police.

My ex-classmate got infected at the intensive-care unit of Princess Margaret Hospital. When I called, he said he had been admitted to hospital but he sounded okay. He has since recovered. A doctor at the emergency ward where I worked also came down with Sars. Luckily, nobody was infected.

Hong Kong's international image will inevitably be affected by the Sars outbreak. But we shouldn't blame the government for everything. I think the legislators complain too much. For various political reasons and because of the lack of information, there was not much the government could do. It can't be as strict as Singapore.

I hope the numbers of health-care professionals getting infected will drop to zero soon. There is a glimmer of hope at the moment since the number of infections is dropping. But in the meantime, I want to remind the public of the need to wear a mask at all times. There has been evidence that people can infect others during the final stages of the incubation period, even when they have no symptoms. I know it is very uncomfortable to wear a mask when it is hot, but you need to protect yourself as well as the people around you.