<p class="ql-block">March 14, 2020 Saturday, as usual I have a family dinner with my wife and older son at home ， All sudden I received a call from the man whom I know so well for the last six years, Dr. Ramon Tallaj, chairman of SOMOS. As the way he normally say to me: “hey Henry, it is very important please come to Wall Street at 9 PM tonight, we meet you at New York Stock Exchange 18 Wall Street”. Since I know his style so well I did not ask for further, I know this will be a very very important issue, I must be there by 9 PM for whatever the reason. I quickly finished my dinner, drove to New York Stock Exchange, and found there were 6 people at front of New York Stock Exchange with heavy security guards present. Dr. Tallaj said “we SOMOS have the State approval of setting up the first ever onsite check point in New York Stock Exchange to screen the possible Coronavirus infected people who coming into the building aiming to fight the then potential outbreak of Covid 19, and protect the world’s financial center”. The chief of security Tom brought us into the trading floor of New York Stock Exchange and upper floor to check the site and rooms for the setup. After a few rounds touring the facility and discussion, we decided to setup 2 check points at two entrance of the building and one room for taking nasal swab samples from the potential Covid 19 people. </p><p class="ql-block">After all the arrangement made before we leaving New York Stock Exchange, Dr. Tallaj said to all of our: “Mark this day, we will be remembered for what we do here for a long time.” What is the similarity to the D-Day Landing during the World War II!</p><p class="ql-block">Now, we had the marching order!</p> <p class="ql-block">Beside Dr. Tallaj and myself, we had Dr. Ponieman, Dr. Tapia, Lidia, Linda, and Ramon Tallaj Jr. </p> <p class="ql-block">The trading floor is so quiet at this time as it would never expect the biggest storm In the history is arriving Monday.</p> <p class="ql-block">Are we ready for that? Yes we are! It is our responsibility and duty to serve the country, to serve the New Yorker now! </p><p class="ql-block">This is the fight in the unknown water and no one knows when will be the end. It is the inevitable fight. The only one thing I do know is that we, our American citizens, will prevail! </p><p class="ql-block">Remember? The ordinary Americans made extraordinary things happen! As alway.</p><p class="ql-block">As a Chinese American physician, serving the community for over 23 years as a primary care doctor, with the recent information of the spiking of Coronavirus spread in New York City, some first hand experience in daily office practice, reading more news, information about this virus from China, Italy and elsewhere in the world in all the WeChat group that I am in, I do understand the great potential risk of this Covid 19 infection. I urged everyone wear masks, gloves at work to better protect ourselves and the public even though guidelines from CDC had not recommended at that time. We started practice social distance with patients, wearing mask and gloves all time in office for over a month already. </p> <p class="ql-block">As I drove back home that night, I quickly call up my office head Medical Assistant Maggie to arrange our staff to join me Monday morning for this big action. Our staff are so dedicated and willing to serve, said yes we are coming with you, we quickly arrange the office schedule and have our medical assistant Julie, YanYan, and Zhen join the first team. They are my heroes!</p> <p class="ql-block">Ready to deploy!</p><p class="ql-block">Monday, March 16, 2020, 5.30am in the morning, we were together in my office to get lab coats, gloves, masks and other supplies ready. My son Robert also join us as a dedicated driver, got up at 4.30am, pick up our staff and drove us to New York Stock Exchange arrived 6 AM.</p> <p>Father and son.</p> <p>We started practice social distance with patients, wearing mask and gloves all time in office for more than a month already. We posted the notice of attention to all patients in both English and Chinese languages in every one of my offices.</p> <p>We also started telemedicine in the preparation of Covid 19 pandemic for all our Excelsior’s practice sites.</p> <p>My dear partner Dr. George Hall, the president of Excelsior Integrated Medical Group, also joined us early morning Monday, March 16.</p> <p>Our great dedicated team at New York Stock Exchange, we are ready to serve!</p> <p>Here’s our screening questionnaire form for everyone enter into the building. Any answer YES for these 4 questions: 1. Do you have I’ll put respiratory symptoms, coughing, bodyaches? 2. Have you been in contact with or exposed to anyone diagnosed with coronavirus? 3. Are you having fever. 4. Have you traveled outside of the US recently?, we will perform a nasal swab for Covid 19 test in a special room, and turn that person home until the test comes back with negative result, that is the policy we set from the first minute of entering NYSE. We did 20 of them in this very first day.</p> <p class="ql-block">For this very first Monday we screened over 600 people entering into the building. Throughout this week (from 3/16 to 3/20) we have screened over 3,000 person times. We have 20 volunteers from SOMOS network on the average day come in for this Project: Fighting Covid 19 Wall Street! </p> <p>Lunch break, touring some areas of the facility.</p> <p>One of the entrance after the market opened at 9am.</p> <p>We witnessed the biggest deep dive in all 3 major financial indexes in history, 2 circuit break in one week.</p> <p>YanYan, medical assistant from my practice. </p> <p class="ql-block">Even though I understand the high risk of taking samples from the potential COVID-19 patients, I had to do it myself in this first day of the on-site screening the Monday, March 16 without full gear of protective gown due to extremely difficulty of getting the supplies. I am a physician, I am the leader of the community, I had to do it whatever it is available for me to protect myself. I took extremely cautious approach to the patient from the side and make sure patient cover his mouth in case he sneezes during the procedure. I did swab 14 of those people who either had symptoms or travel history according to our screening criteria. Dr. Tapia swabbed 6 of them in the afternoon. </p><p class="ql-block">I voluntarily quarantine myself at home to protect my family after I learned that some people I swab were positive with Covid 19 and got sick.</p> <p class="ql-block">After a long working day from 6AM until the market closed at 4 PM, we changed to our own scrub. For the first day we screened over 600 people entering the building, swapped 20 people who had symptoms of Covid infection or history of traveling outside of the country.</p> <p>Outside of New York Stock Exchange before going back to the car where my son was watching, he then drove us back to the office.</p> <p>The entire Wall Street block was empty.</p> <p>Here is a part of the SOMOS team at the New York Stock Exchange.</p> <p>SOMOS is the largest community primary care physician formed and led not for profit organization in New York State. We have over 2500 community based physicians with private practices through out entire New York City, most are Latinos and Asian, particularly Chinese origins, serving the most vulnerable immigrant communities of New York City.</p> <p>The Latinos and the Chinese working together hand-in-hand in New York Stock Exchange.</p> <p>Ramon Tallaj Jr. and Robert Chen. The sons of the chairman Dr. Ramon Tallaj and the president Dr. Henry Chen, SOMOS community care. Lead by example! It’s our calling. It is the time to serve!</p> <p>Team father and son in New York Stock Exchange. We only met in the lunchtime at cafeteria because it was so busy during the day here.</p> <p>Wednesday, March 18 we had 5 of my office staff plus my son Robert join me in the New York Stock Exchange: Lily, Betty, Hannah, Simon, and Jing Lu, our nurse practitioner. </p> <p>March 18, Wednesday afternoon, we finally got the best personal protective equipment (PPE) at the price of $800 for 25 pieces. I immediately put it on for fall protection, continue my work of swabbing the potential coronavirus infected people.</p> <p class="ql-block">By this time, March 18, Wednesday, we already found three positive COVID-19 patients from Monday screening. It was 5am Wednesday morning, I received test results in my home fax machine with 3 Covid PCR positive. I immediately reported to SOMOS leadership and upper management of New York Stock Exchange. Later in the afternoon around 1pm, Tom came to me said that the board of the New York Stock Exchange made a decision to close the trading floor after Friday closing bell, there will be a public announcement that they will close the trading floor after completion of the trading section Friday, March 20, 4 PM. All trading activities will be fully supported by the electronic platform. I was the first one outside New York Stock Exchange management team to know this news before the public. </p><p class="ql-block">It was the first time New York Stock Exchange has closed the trading floor and remain electronic trading activity in its entire history since its first trading started in May 17, 1792! 228 years! </p><p class="ql-block">A footnote: The first listed company in NYSE was Bank of New York in the first day of trading. </p> <p>The Bank of New York, established in 1784, still stands on Wall Street.</p> <p>SOMOS staff.</p> <p>We are getting more and more volunteers since we opened this site, with subsequent opening Queens site at Aqueduct and Lehman College in the Bronx. Ricky Young, a pharmacist, joined our team Wednesday.</p> <p>NP Jing Lu from my office, alongside with Dr. Ponieman, CMO of SOMOS, stationed in one of the entrance to screen everyone enter from this door. Each site we will have at least one medical provider, and 2 administrative staff. </p> <p>Tom, The chief of security and senior VP, New York Stock Exchange. </p> <p>The trading floor March 20, 2020, Friday morning prior to market open. After this day, the trading floor will be closed until further notice.</p> <p>Devin Lin from my office joined me this Friday, and witnessed the last on site trading floor in New York Stock Exchange.</p> <p>No one should forget this very special Friday, March 20, 2020! Everywhere you go within New York Stock Exchange, you will see the sign of SOMOS all over the place and the whole world! Solute to SOMOS!</p> <p>Tom and the upper management of NYSE were so nice to us, brought us to the active trading floor, and let our team to ring this very special opening bell for the first time ever in the history of New York Stock Exchange.</p> <p>The message was spread out to the entire world! In all languages!</p> <p>Here is the communication between Tom and me two weeks later while we are still in New York Stock Exchange for screening the remaining staff coming into the building.</p><p>Henry: Thank God! I could not imagine what would happen if we did not come in that Monday, started screening every one, tested all people with symptoms and turned them home. We did it at the very good timing for the good people and for the good reasons! It is my great honor and pleasure to working with you and your team in the New York stock exchange here.</p><p>Tom: I thank God for you and your team</p><p>What you did for NYSE was amazing and your efforts stopped the spread in our building and helped all of our positive patients. </p> <h3>You, SOMOS, makes that happen, you are part of the history, and you are making the history!</h3>