‘Recovered’ Covid-19 Patient Was Hospitalised For 2 Weeks Before Discharge
As the number of new Covid-19 cases fall in China, there have also been worrying reports emerging from Wuhan.
On Thursday (5 Mar), South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that a ‘recovered’ Covid-19 patient died of the same virus just 5 days after he was discharged.
But he’s not the only one — other Covid-19 patients from Wuhan have also reported falling sick after their release from hospital.
Covid-19 patient stayed at quarantine hotel after discharge
According to SCMP, 36-year-old Li Liang was admitted to a makeshift hospital on 12 Feb.
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The hospital in question reportedly houses and treats patients with “mild and moderate symptoms”.
Li was apparently discharged 2 weeks later and received instructions to stay in a “quarantine hotel” for the next 14 days.
However, just 2 days later, Li claimed he didn’t feel well and had a dry mouth and bloated stomach.
On Monday (2 Mar), the 36-year-old fell sick and was sent to a hospital. He died that afternoon, reports SCMP.
Died of respiratory blockage and failure
Shockingly, the direct cause of death was Covid-19, according to the death certificate. The document also cited respiratory blockage and failure were as symptoms which could have led to his demise.
Here’s where things get even more worrisome.
Fangcang Hospital, a makeshift facility in Wuhan, issued an emergency notice on Wednesday (4 Mar) stating that there was an increase in discharged patients returning to hospital after falling sick again.
The hospital will reportedly be carrying out antibody tests – which Singapore started – on all patients before their hospital discharge, from today (5 Mar).
Hope the Chinese authorities will take a serious look at this
While there’s no explanation as to how this strange phenomenon is happening, there are several possible theories:
- The patient did not fully recover from the virus before discharge
- The patient made a full recovery but got infected again after discharge
The second is less probable, at least in Li’s case, since he underwent 14 more days of quarantine after leaving the hospital.
The first case would be concerning, as it means that Covid-19 patients are not receiving sufficient medical attention.
Whatever the truth may be, we hope the Chinese authorities will take this seriously and conduct a thorough investigation to find out what had happened.
Featured image adapted from China Xinhua News on Twitter.
