Another child has died in China amid growing calls for the country to abandon its “zero Covid” policy.
The four-month-old girl died after suffering from vomiting and diarrhea at a quarantine hotel in downtown Zhengzhou, according to a post by her father on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Wednesday.
Her father – Li Baoliang – called emergency services early Monday morning, but when doctors arrived and his daughter tested negative for Covid, they said her case was not urgent.
An ambulance finally arrived that night, but it took two hours to get the baby to a hospital 60 miles away. By the time she received medical attention, it had been 12 hours since her father raised the alarm – and she was pronounced dead early on Tuesday.
This is the second tragic fatal accident in weeks after a three-year-old boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the city of Lanzhou. His father accused health workers of “indirectly killing” his son by preventing him from taking the boy to a hospital.
Beijing has promised that people in quarantine zones will not be denied access to emergency medical care.
Pictured above is a Chinese worker delivering packages to residents of an apartment building in Zhengzhou, central China. A four-month-old baby died in this city after it took doctors hours to treat him for vomiting and diarrhea
China is enforcing a zero-Covid policy to quarantine those who have the virus and are at risk of contracting it three years into the pandemic.
Last month, President Xi Jinping declared the strategy a success as he began a third term.
Internet censorship quickly erased public discussion of childbirth-related deaths or tried to limit them in the official narrative.
While the zero-Covid policy was initially widely supported, more and more Chinese are calling for its abolition.
The Chinese hashtag for “girl dies denied medical attention” has been viewed more than 180 million times today, but did not appear in the trending column.
It comes as tensions boil over in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Monday.
Looting protesters in hazmat suits have been filmed fighting healthcare workers, destroying Covid testing centers and overturning police cars.
In a rare display of public anger over local lockdowns, large crowds tumbled through Covid barriers and marched through the streets of Guangzhou.
Videos posted on Twitter and widely shared showed chaotic scenes in Guangzhou’s Haizhu district late Monday night as people stormed the streets and fought with white health workers in protective gear.
Footage shows a large crowd of protesters tearing down Covid barriers and testing centres. A man is seen tearing down the pavilions of a temporary testing center and trying to kick Covid health workers standing in line.
Another video appeared to show health workers in protective gear groping some protesters who approached them. A protester is pinned to the ground by a health worker who puts his foot on the man’s neck.
Chinese authorities responded by adding another 250,000 quarantine beds to the city of 15 million centers.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
