Hospitals run out of beds in China, Vietnam as ‘walking pneumonia’ spreads: Reports
Pix credit X @DrEricDing
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, November 22: A report by Taiwan-based FTV News claiming that hospitals in China are running out of beds amid pneumonia outbreak among children has rung alarm bell globally. Epidemiologists claimed that similar situations are also prevailing in Vietnam as parents could be seen holding on to their sick children in hospitals where they are without beds and lying on the floors.
Social media platforms have seen an explosion of video posts of the parents taking their children to the hospitals in conditions seemingly looking grim. A ProMED-mail post on the basis of FTV News report stated that “with the outbreak of pneumonia in China, children’s hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning and other places were overwhelmed with sick children, and schools and classes were on the verge of suspension”.
It also claimed that parents questioned whether the authorities were covering up the epidemic. It quoted unnamed Beijing citizens, saying: “Many, many are hospitalized. They don’t cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules.”
Incidentally, ProMED is credited to have broken the news of the outbreak of the Covid-19 even while China had allegedly sought to cover up the spread of the virus. “It was a ProMed alert in late December 2019 that brought a mystery virus later named Sars-Cov-2 to the attention of many doctors and scientists, including senior officials at the World Health Organization,” said Telegraph of the UK in a report.
Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding in multiple video posts on X said that “an undiagnosed pneumonia outbreak is turning out to be a large outbreak of pneumonia in China, with paediatric hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning overwhelmed with sick children, & many schools suspended.” “Beijing Children’s Hospital (is) overflowing. The respiratory department at Vietnam’s children’s hospital (HCMC) has run out of beds, forcing patients to lie in hammocks in the hallway,” Dr Feigl-Ding added.
Yang Kaini, while reporting for Sixth Tone daily, wrote that “China’s outbreak of mycoplasma pneumonia among children, which has placed pressure on hospitals since early September, has shown signs of abating in recent weeks. But authorities and experts warn of renewed strain on hospitals entering peak flu season as cross-infection risks increase.”
The FTV News of Taiwan reported that the situation in Liaoning province is serious. It added that hospitals are full of sick children receiving intravenous drips. “There are also queues of patients at the traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and the central hospitals,” added the daily.
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