Long Queues at Hospitals, Apartment Lockdowns in Wuhan as Some Suspect Virus Resurgence

Residents wear masks while walking through the entrance of the Wuhan Beer Festival in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China, on August 21, 2020. (Getty Images)

Hundreds of patients are queuing outside the infectious disease department at two of Wuhan’s largest hospitals, while some outdoors markets were shut down and several residential complexes resumed lockdown policies—leading some residents to suspect a resurgence of the CCP virus in the city where it first emerged.

In a phone interview, a resident in the central Chinese city of Wuhan divulged more information to The Epoch Times about what is happening there.

Long Hospital Queues

According to official data from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, apart from a total of 4 new imported cases on Aug. 1 and 7, there were no new local COVID-19 cases in Wuhan throughout August. On Aug. 15, the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park held an electronic music pool party, reportedly attended by 3,000 people. The audience was packed, with no face coverings or social distancing rules in sight.

But a Wuhan resident Wang Yuan (pseudonym) said he made observations that suggest the outbreak is still severe. Hundreds of people have lined up every day outside the infectious disease clinics of the Tongji Hospital and Union Hospital. “Right outside the hospital on the main street, you’ll see the queues. You can see them and take pictures at any time,” Wang said.

Wang also said some hospitals would not give a diagnosis to patients. He shared that a local community clinic doctor made a social media post on August 25, discussing a patient his clinic received that day. The post stated that the patient was a 31-year-old woman who became short of breath when she got out of bed on Aug. 22. The woman said she felt better after about 30 minutes. But she continued to have the same symptoms every day.

On Aug. 24, she went to the hospital for treatment. A CT scan revealed a common symptom of COVID-19: her lungs had ground-glass opacity in several areas. The electrocardiogram also showed a faster-than-normal heart rate. But a nucleic acid test and COVID-19 antibody test both turned up negative. The clinic said she may be suffering from a viral pneumonia, and the possibility of COVID-19 could not be ruled out. The doctor recommended that she take nucleic acid and antibody tests three days later and to self-quarantine at home.

The doctor pointed out that her symptoms of this case are highly consistent with COVID-19, and added that the accuracy of nucleic acid tests is low. Meanwhile, antibodies may not appear during the early phase of infection, or the patient may be asymptomatic for more than ten days.

The doctor wrote, “The superiors wouldn’t even dare to put down the diagnosis of viral pneumonia on the CT report,” adding that two top hospitals, Wuhan Puai Hospital and Wuhan Union Hospital, took no further action on this patient.

Market Closed

The Hankou Gusaoshu Fruit and Vegetable Market is within 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) of the Huanan Seafood Market, which local authorities initially said was the source of the outbreak. Wang Yuan disclosed that the Hankou market was also a hard-hit area during the pandemic. On Aug. 30, the market was shut down by authorities, with a notice posted outside that said it would be renovated.

Wang explained that the market was opened for a few days after the citywide lockdown was lifted in April. But then authorities closed it down and set up a temporary street market outside. On Aug. 30, the temporary market was demolished. He suspected it was because shoppers were coming into close contact with each other and spreading the virus.

Lockdown at Apartment Complexes

Wang also said some communities have experienced more and more stringent containment measures. “Half a month ago, a complex near Daishan village resumed containment measures. You must wear a mask when entering and leaving, and you must take your body temperature,” he said.

The Epoch Times could not independently verify the information.

He also said if residents use their health insurance card to buy anti-fever medicines at local pharmacies, community officials would soon contact them and inquire about whether they are suspected to have COVID-19. “The big data is powerful,” Wang said.

“The pandemic is recurring all over the world. How can this place be over with it just like that?” Wang opined.