‘There’s a higher risk of infection if I go to hospital’

THE corpse of Chen Min, wrapped in a yellow body bag with tape, was delivered to the funeral home by workers in hazmat suits. Despite being pressurised into a quick cremation, the grieving family did not know for sure if the 65-year-old had died from the coronavirus sweeping China. They still don’t.

Official figures say 41 people have died, with 1,300 infected. But experts at Imperial College say up to 9,700 may have come down with the disease. The

swift disposal of Mrs Chen’s body raises questions about the scale of the problem.

Her fever and cough had set in 10 days before her death. Visits to three hospitals in Wuhan – the seat of an outbreak that by then had killed one person and had spread overseas – all ended the same way. She was diagnosed with a cold and sent home. Her symptoms were consistent with the novel virus but doctors did not test for the mystery disease, nor quarantine her.

By time she was put in isolation on Jan 15, she was critically ill. Six hours later, she was dead: the cause “severe

pneumonia”. But doctors told her family it was “highly likely” the coronavirus had killed her. “Those words are very obvious hints to patients and relatives but there are no written records,” said Ms Chen’s son, Kyle Hui, 40.

Xi Jinping, China’s president, has ordered “all-out” efforts to handle the epidemic, the latest in a string of political crises challenging his leadership.

China’s healthcare system struggles to support the population of 1.4billion. With a major health crisis, the strain is palpable. The country has one GP per 7,000 people – the World Health Or

ganisation recommended standard is one for every 2,000. In Wuhan, hospitals are running out of supplies, beds and coronavirus diagnostic test kits.

“People with fevers and colds are being persuaded to go back home,” said Mr Chen. “The virus is developing faster than the capacity of the health system.” People are posting complaints and photos of long hospital lines online, though they are quickly being deleted by Chinese government censors.

“I already had a cold,” said Tina Wang, 25, an international schoolteacher from Wuhan. “But I thought

there would be a higher risk of getting infected if I went to the hospital, so I stayed at home.”

China is preparing itself for many more patients, and announced plans on Friday to build two new hospitals dedicated solely to treating the virus.

The government has improved its flow of information but there is still public concern – medics have been banned from talking to journalists, and rail staff were told at one point not to wear face masks in order to dampen citizens’ worries.

Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong