After discovering that an elderly nursing home resident assumed to have died of coronavirus was still alive, a Shanghai funeral parlor commended two of its employees and gave them each $1,000.
The 75-year-old resident was being picked up from a care facility where she had been declared dead, disinfected, and put into a corpse bag.
Wu Jianchong, a funeral home employee, noticed signs of life while loading the body into the vehicle. Workers from the New Long March Care Home were summoned by Wu and his colleague, Han Fei, who ordered that the body bag be unzipped.
The funeral home stated, "Wu Jianchong removed the towel covering the 'dead' face and his judgment was correct." "The so-called human remains were a live person," the care home's director and other municipal officials have been fired, and a doctor's license has been revoked for declaring the woman dead.
According to the burial home, the old woman's relatives were especially grateful to Wu and Han, whose awareness was credited with saving her life.
The incident's video has gone viral in China, indicating the turmoil and high death toll in Shanghai's attempt to contain the Omicron variety. Out of the city's 25 million population, the pandemic has infected more than 500,000 people since February.
A total of 474 people have died after contracting the virus, despite the fact that local health officials claim they died of underlying health issues and that no one was killed directly by the infection.
Millions of residents in lockdown
Since April 1, the city has been under heavy lockdown as President Xi Jinping continues to enforce his "zero-Covid" policy. Residents have experienced food shortages and medical service delays, and an unofficial tally posted online claimed that at least 192 people have died as a result of the measures.
There have been reports of deaths due to a lack of medical attention, old persons being incarcerated, and goods being plundered by local officials.
The event is being investigated by the district bureau of civil affairs. Despite barely dozens of cases every day, Beijing blocked dozens of metro stations on Wednesday as Covid restrictions hinder circulation throughout the Chinese capital.
The elderly patient had been brought to a hospital and was being treated, according to state media. The incident stunned Chinese citizens, who are questioning the government's commitment to zero-Covid policies such as rigorous lockdowns and mass testing. It is also putting residents' resolve and faith to the test.
"What if this incidence went unnoticed by Shanghai residents?", one commenter on a state-run news outlet said.
"Care homes and nursing homes will be the last resort for many old individuals, particularly for those who are lonely and have no other options," said the chevalier. "Who today would send their parents to a nursing home?" Who would dare to have peace of mind in a nursing home? ”
Shanghai officials had hoped to avoid a lockdown, but they backtracked in early April, forcing around 25 million people inside. Food shortages and supply troubles have hampered the lockdown, which has provoked demonstrations both online and in people's homes and streets.
A video of a man claiming to be a Shanghai worker walking onto a road to stop a truck and beg for food has also gone viral. "Not one person in Shanghai cares about us." Please look after us! Make this public! Please assist me in exposing this! I am employed. I'm going to die of hunger! " he declares
Authorities in Beijing have similarly avoided large lockdowns, focusing instead on routine testing of millions of people in at least a dozen neighborhoods and other tight safeguards.
Before the five-day May Day holiday weekend, restaurants, entertainment venues, and schools were shuttered, and travel restrictions were imposed to and from the city. On Monday, authorities reported 62 new cases.