A photo shows that some coronavirus patients in Wuhan are being treated in their cars because there are 'too many sick people' in hospitals

Wuhan hospitals
Wuhan hospitals

Getty

  • Hospitals in the Wuhan area are increasingly overwhelmed, causing some patients to sit on pavements outside hospitals because there are “too many sick people.”

  • A picture tweeted out by a New York Times journalist shows patients sitting outside a Wuhan hospital getting IV drips while sat on a ledge, while another can be seen being fed into a nearby car.

  • The city has built two makeshift hospitals and is even turning to other venues, such as sports centers and exhibition halls, to accommodate more patients infected with the coronavirus.

  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

As the coronavirus continues to spread around Wuhan and hospital admissions are increasing, many people are forced to fend for themselves — with some even sitting outside hospitals on IV drips.

In a photo tweeted by New York Times journalist Amy Qin, patients can be seen sitting on the pavement outside a Wuhan hospital getting IV drips while sitting on ledges and in their cars.

They reportedly said they did not want to be inside the hospital because there were “too many sick people.”

 

The picture comes amid reports of staff shortage in hospitals, extremely long queues, and short supplies of hazmat suits and surgical masks.

Some people have described getting a coronavirus test-kit like “winning the lottery.”

Medical staff in Wuhan are treating so many people at the same time that they have reportedly even begun wearing diapers because they don’t have time to use the bathroom.

Some have told AFP that they fear people will infect each other while waiting to get help.

 

In response, Wuhan is panic-building two hospitals to accommodate the rising number of infected patients.

The first medical facility, Huoshenshan Hospital, was completed on Sunday and has been treating patients since Tuesday.

The second hospital, Leishenshan, is due to be completed on Thursday, according to CGTN. A live feed of its construction can be found on YouTube.

The city is also using hotels, sports centers, exhibition spaces, and other local venues as makeshift hospitals that can keep up to 10,000 patients.

At this point, 494 people have died from the disease and over 24,000 have been infected.

Read more:

Read the original article on Business Insider

source: yahoo.com