The city of Shanghai, China, has been grappling with an overwhelming surge in Omicron cases over the past few weeks. In an attempt to reach zero-Covid status, drastic measures were introduced, stretching many facilities to the limit.
This has unsurprisingly taken a toll on healthcare workers.
Recently, Shanghai residents were horrified to learn of an incident where an elderly man was mistaken for dead and sent to the morgue while still alive.
Source: @songpinganq on Twitter
As a result, at least six people have lost their jobs or are under investigation. The nursing home where the man lived has also apologised for the blunder.
A video of the incident, posted on Twitter on Sunday (1 May), shows three people in protective suits gathering around a body bag behind a black van.
According to South China Morning Post, this happened outside the Shanghai Xinchangzheng welfare hospital in Changzheng, Putuo district.
Source: @songpinganq on Twitter
In the clip, we see two mortuary workers unzipping the body bag in front of a nursing home employee.
They then appear to step back in shock as they realise the person inside is still alive.
Source: @songpinganq on Twitter
The staff member reseals the bag before going to speak to two other workers in hazmat suits. They then return to the van to wheel the man back into the nursing home.
Source: @songpinganq on Twitter
The video quickly went viral on social media, leaving many in horror and disbelief.
Weibo users are even calling it “intentional homicide” and remarked that the man could’ve been buried or cremated alive, CNN reports.
It’s unclear whether the man had Covid-19, or how the nursing home could have committed such a grave error in the first place.
On Monday (2 May), Putuo district authorities confirmed the incident and announced an investigation into the matter.
Bloomberg reports that four people, including the head of the nursing home and other officials, were fired. The director of the district civil affairs bureau is also under investigation, and one doctor’s licence was revoked.
The government has also penalised the nursing home, which apologised for the mistake.
Thankfully, the elderly man is now receiving treatment in the hospital and is in stable condition.
It sounds like a plot straight out of a horror movie — waking up suddenly to find yourself inside a body bag.
Fortunately, the mortuary workers managed to save the man on time. It’s far too terrifying to imagine what could have happened to him if that were not the case.
Hopefully, the nursing home staff will remember to be more careful to prevent such an alarming incident from happening again.
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Featured image adapted from @songpinganq on Twitter.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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