First came Liu Xiaohong’s fever and a constant, throbbing ache. Then six days later, on Jan. 31 and with her fever still raging, Liu desperately rushed by bike to the nearest hospital; taxi services had been suspended days earlier as part of a citywide lockdown.
Doctors did a CT scan of Liu’s lungs and concluded that day that she likely had the new coronavirus. Twelve days after falling ill, Liu is now waiting in a makeshift isolation ward for confirmation from a virus screening test so she can finally be admitted to a hospital.
“There is absolutely no medical care here. They come and take your temperature each morning and night,” Liu told NPR from her bed in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Stomach pain and her worsening respiratory condition have left Liu struggling to breathe and talk.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
