Wuhan coronavirus: Unverified video showing 'infected patient' in China writhing in agony goes viral
Authorities in embattled China were in for more discomfort as video footage of a patient writhing uncontrollably on a hospital bed in Wuhan claims to show the pain of a victim of coronavirus (MEAWW could not independently confirm the veracity of the video). The patient, under the covers, could be not identified as male or female but the shocking tremble with masked people watching helplessly left social media shocked.
Eighty people have died of the virus while 2,700 cases have been confirmed so far in China after the outbreak reportedly happened at a seafood market in Wuhan, one of the most populated cities in the country. There were also cases confirmed from other countries like the US.
In the video, the bystanders did not appear to be doctors as they were not wearing hazmat suits. The short video, allegedly taken from the epicenter of the outbreak in the Hubei Province, went viral on social media. The clip was tweeted by journalist Dmitry Zolotarev who captioned it: “Patient with heavy seizures caused by CORONAVIRUS. #Wuhan.”
Chinese authorities are facing steep challenge despite acting quick
Chinese authorities have done all they could to check the spread of the virus. A number of cities have been cordoned off, including Wuhan, which is a major transportation and seafood hub. Authorities are on a war footing even building a hospital in 10 days but there is still a need for more hospital beds and protective suits to tackle the situation.
In Hong Kong, protestors set an empty residential facility on fire on Sunday, January 26, after the authorities planned to make it a quarantine center.
The video has left the authorities uncomfortable since accusations that China is deliberately stopping raw footage of the crisis going viral on the internet are doing the rounds. They have also been accused of hiding the actual number of confirmed cases which many believe could be around 90,000.
However, the veracity of the latest video could be disputed since people infected with coronavirus are generally quarantined, suggesting that they are not kept among people in hospital.