She did not have a Covid-19 test: a Chinese woman who was eight months pregnant had a miscarriage at the door of a hospital, prompting the authorities to announce administrative sanctions on Thursday, January 5.
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The facts occurred in the metropolis of Xi'an (north), in quarantine for two weeks after the worst outbreak of Covid-19 to hit China since the initial pandemic in early 2020. According to a message released on January 1 on social networks, a woman was refused entry to Gaoxin hospital for two hours on the grounds that she did not have a coronavirus test dating back less than 48 hours. One photo shows her sitting on a plastic stool surrounded by a pool of blood. According to her niece, who broadcast the message, the woman did have a drug test, but it had expired a few hours earlier. The message was deleted from social networks but has had time to arouse the anger of Internet users.
AFP was not able to certify its content but the Xi'an city hall announced the dismissal of the director of the hospital as well as
"the officials concerned"
.
An investigation was launched following the facts
"which caused great concern and a negative impact on society"
, according to a statement from the municipality.
As early as Wednesday, local officials announced to the press the establishment of quick access points to hospitals for certain patients such as pregnant women or those who are ill in critical condition.
Read alsoChina locks up the city of Xi'an and locks itself in its zero Covid strategy
China, where the epidemic was discovered at the end of 2019, practically eliminated contagion in the spring of 2020 following the adoption of a “zero Covid” strategy, based on drastic measures (containment, screening, electronic tracing, virtual border closure, vaccination). According to official figures, the country has recorded only 100,000 cases, including 4,636 fatalities, since the start of the epidemic. But sporadic outbreaks worry the authorities, especially in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Beijing from February 4 to 20. The country announced 189 new cases on Thursday for the past 24 hours, including 63 in Xi'an. Residents confined to homes complained of lack of food and several local officials were sanctioned for their handling of anti-epidemic measures.
