Whistle-blowing doctor's battle must still be fought

Encouragingly, the growth in the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus has slowed over the last three days since Tuesday, which is the first time since the outbreak began.

Since this is primarily due to the situation in places other than Hubei, it appears that the government's efforts have done what they were intended to do, which was to prevent the virus rushing out from the province.

That areas have not had to share Hubei's suffering is also because a doctor in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, drew attention to a cluster of mysterious pneumonia cases, which he believed were caused by a virus similar to the one that caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2002-03.

While his warning was denied as a rumor by local police, his words were among the first that later drew the attention of the public to what was happening in Wuhan and the surrounding cities, and with the number of cases rising, the order was given to lock down the area.

That explains why there has been a nationwide outpouring of grief at the news that Li Wenliang, the doctor that rang the alarm, had died of the virus in the early morning of Friday.

And the fact that the National Supervisory Commission has dispatched an inspection group to Wuhan is a timely response to people's calls for an investigation. It sends a clear message that the central authorities are determined to get to the truth and hold those responsible accountable.

That the epidemic has not affected the country as it has Hubei is thanks to those like Li sounding the alarm and the central government's resolute actions after it became clear the number of infections were continuing to increase. But that does not mean other areas can relax their vigilance while the fight against the virus in Hubei is still to be won.

That the central authorities are sending another 2,000 doctors and nurses to Hubei, having already sent more than 10,000 doctors and nurses to the province, shows how hard hit the province has been by the outbreak and how determined the government is to both contain the virus and help those infected.

As of Friday afternoon, the virus had infected 31,214 people in the country, and 637 people had died. And showing the extent to which Hubei is shouldering the suffering, 22,112 people have been infected in the province and 618 people have died there.

The continuous input of medical staff, materials and life necessities into Hubei is all those outside can do to support the battle on the front line, where the shortage of these strategic supplies remains evident.

That Li's words of warning were not acted on immediately has exposed problems in the governance systems in some places. It would be a fitting tribute to Li's courage in speaking out if these were effectively addressed so that there is a speedier and more effective response that can nip any future public health emergency in the bud before it becomes a national crisis.