As the virus swept across nations, fear hangs in the air and fake news spread like wildfire. Many have turned to doctors and scholars for their professional advice. Our specialist in respiratory medicine, Prof David Hui from CUHK Faculty of Medicine, had combatted SARS on the frontline 17 years ago. Today, he did interview after interview, tirelessly dissecting the epidemic and highlighting necessary precautions.
While Prof Hui and our Faculty of Medicine members are our respectable KOLs, professors from other disciplines have been offering other means of public education and support. Feel free to share with your friends and family if you find any of the following information useful!
1. Take care of your emotional well-being
Prof Winnie Mak (Department of Psychology) has long concerned herself with the subject matter of mental health. In the light of recent events, StoryTaler – a social enterprise she’s set up with her students – has published refreshing illustrations accompanied by concise tips on alleviating anxiety or depressive symptoms. Want to evaluate your own state of well-being? Try TourHeart – a one-stop platform for self-help and psychological support, another masterpiece by Prof Mak’s team.
TourHeart psychological self-assessment and support platform
2. Battle the epidemic of fear and fake news
Ex-media practitioner Prof Donna Chu (School of Journalism and Communication) founded social enterprise Mars Media Academy, coaching with a creative flair how we could digest information and approach media outlets critically. That not only has something to do with your language capabilities, but also media and information literacy. Prof Chu and her Martian team has been scrutinising news events relevant to the epidemic on their Facebook page – let’s boost our immunity towards myths and learn to read between the lines!
Great read from Mars (Chinese only): Fact Check – What to Check for?
3. Sing along while washing your hands
Perhaps you are more familiar with Prof Roger Chung (Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care) as a singer-songwriter (in The Chung Brothers with his older brother Henry Chung), a DJ and voice actor for commercials. Just this month, he put both his areas of expertise into full use in a collaboration with Mcdull, narrating basic precautions against the virus as a public health consultant in the animated story. If only Prof Chung also sang along with Mcdull and friends!
▼ Mcdull short film (Chinese only)
4. Coax kids to wear a mask in sign language
Prof Gladys Tang (Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages) is our expert in sign language research and advocate for sign bilingualism. SLCO Community Resources, a social enterprise she and her team founded a few years back, has been offering bilingual training and playgroup sessions popular among parents and children alike. Though their classes are currently suspended, SLCO obtained permission to produce sign language videos based on two illustrated books (611 Bread of Life Christian Church’s I’m not afraid and Mia Lin’s Little masked soldiers) – perfect for families with hard-of-hearing members, or anyone interested in sign language.
Illustrated books (Chinese and sign language): I’m not afraid , Little masked soldiers
5. Listen to the doc
To keep tabs on latest info from CUHK on the viral outbreak, aside from following the official Facebook page, Instagram account and Telegram channel, don’t miss the Facebook page of our Faculty of Medicine! There’re all-you-need-to-know info packages on daily precautions, heartfelt sharing from frontline medical staff, as well as expert opinions from Faculty staff, such as Prof Juliana Chan’s insights into the association between diabetes and risks of Covid-19 infection.
This serves only as an abstract of part of CUHK’s efforts in response to the epidemic. Please stay tuned for updates from the SoCUBE team!
By Kary Wong@ORKTS
English translation by Cathy Wong@ORKTS