‘People are scared’: The people of Xi’an struggle to get food and medical attention

Two days after a woman who was discharged from Xi’an Hospital had a miscarriage, an elderly man died of a heart attack while various medical organizations refused to treat him because he lived in a coronavirus-infected area.

When the 61-year-old was admitted to Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital, doctors told the man’s family it was too late to save his life.

“I can’t imagine the frustration and anguish that my father experienced during the final hours of his life,” the daughter wrote in an article in the Weibo microblog.

The Financial Times has not been able to confirm the details of the post on its own, but its story is similar to that of other Xi’an residents who have spoken of the widespread neglect and the need for stronger closure since the plague began in Wuhan two years ago.

On New Year’s Day, middle woman was denied admission to Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital for several hours because Covid’s test results were not recent. He waited outside until he began to bleed. Following the miscarriage, the authorities fired the hospital staff.

Yanzhong Huang, a health expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said the protests took place in Xi’an, where many people were left homeless. without food and access to medical care, it shows “emergency preparedness at the local level, even if the plague lasts for two years”.

The central city reported more than 1,900 cases last month, a small fraction compared to statistics from countries such as the US, which. reports cases exceeding 1m Tuesday.

But the Chinese concept of “zero-Covid” means that Xi’an’s expansion should be seen as a problem. Authorities have banned more than 13m people from leaving their homes unless they have a special time.

Many families living in their own homes have suffered hunger, which has grown this week after city officials have placed anyone found guilty of Covid charges in state detention centers. This included food service personnel and volunteers who distributed supplies in closed areas.

The owner of a grocery store in Xi’an, who did not want to be named, told the Financial Times that he had run out of vegetables after receiving only one portion of emergency supplies from the government since the closure began on December 22.

“People are scared,” said the store owner, “which is not surprising because we are not allowed to go out and we only get information on our phone.”

Jane Huang, a private retailer in Xi’an, said she was able to buy a grocery store at her supermarket which is well connected with retailers. But some areas “did not have the same opportunities because shops are closed and delivery workers are not allowed to work”.

“Many of my friends say they are starving or fasting right away,” she said.

China’s zero-Covid policy it has been helpful preventing the high number of deaths that have suffered in other western countries, according to local government statistics. And analysts say China will not withdraw from the process. In November, health officials warned that a global epidemic would “bring a catastrophe”. Given the low power of the Chinese vaccine, the widespread spread could lead to more hospitals and deaths.

But the suffering of the people of Xi’an who were left without food and access to medical care has underscored the cost of emergency procedures without emergency planning. A commentator on Weibo wrote to more than 3m followers that “departments should have stricter and more compassionate laws… To prevent epidemics we must not forget the spirit of the people.”

Yanzhong Huang said Xi’an’s politicians were “deeply pressured” to end Beijing’s illness before participating in the Winter Olympics in February, which prompted them to follow “more ways to get the job done.”

But after an outburst of anger erupted after the miscarriage, the authorities changed their mind. Xu Mingfei, Xi’an’s deputy mayor, said this week hospitals would no longer reject patients in need of emergency care. She also pledged to strengthen access to emergency services for vulnerable people such as pregnant women and patients in need of dialysis and chemotherapy.

Calvin Ho, a medical scientist at the University of Hong Kong, said that in spite of the widespread spread of Xi’an, Shanghai officials in November were able to control the prevalence of the Delta virus. He acted wisely, which included keeping 34,000 guests in the city Disneyland Park tests and isolation.

“There are differences between the local governments on the epidemic,” Ho said, noting that officials in the north-central state of Henan province were also rushing to stop the spread of the 56 cases found on Friday.

But for the residents of Xi’an, although daily numbers are declining, there is no indication as to when the closure will be reduced.

“It’s been like this for 14 days now and I don’t know when things will get better,” said Huang, who is eager to get his dog for air conditioning.

Additional reports of Maiqi Ding in Beijing