Dear editor,

Since the middle of December 2019, human‐to‐human transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has occurred among close contacts.1 It has been confirmed that 7 199 313 infections and 408 732 deaths worldwide with a death rate of 5.68% (up to June 9 according to real‐time big‐data reports). Asia, Europe, and America are becoming the most affected pandemic outbreak areas. Until now, global attention has largely been focused on infected patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) and physical and psychological states of the frontline medical workers in recent society. With the rapid development of information technology, psychological influences spread more widely via the “We Media,” which is a new media tool beyond what existed at the time of the SARS outbreak in 2003.1 Therefore, COVID‐19 represents a psychological challenge, both for those who experience it and healthcare providers. From observations surrounding the SARS outbreak, such challenges are likely to lead to a secondary disaster due to stress and psychological distress,2 even after the COVID‐19 outbreak is over. Severe psychological stress factors are highly likely to induce serious mental illnesses and promote post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular.

亲爱的编辑，

自2019年12月中旬以来，紧密接触者之间发生了人际传播冠状病毒疾病（COVID-19）。1已确认全世界范围内有7 199 313例感染和408 732例死亡，死亡率为5.68％（根据实时大数据报告，截至6月9日）。亚洲，欧洲和美洲正在成为受影响最大的大流行爆发地区。迄今为止，全球注意力主要集中在严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）感染的患者以及近期社会一线医务人员的身心状况。随着信息技术的飞速发展，心理影响通过“我们媒体”传播得更加广泛。“我们媒体”是一种新的媒体工具，其功能已经超过了2003年非典爆发时的水平。1因此，对于有经验的人和医疗保健提供者来说，COVID-19代表着一种心理挑战。根据关于SARS爆发的观察，即使在COVID-19爆发结束后，此类挑战也可能由于压力和心理困扰而导致继发性灾难2。严重的心理压力因素极有可能诱发严重的精神疾病，尤其是导致创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。