Covid-19 in China: Xian cases continue to fall and health chief apologises to woman who lost baby after being turned away from hospital
- While cases in the northwestern city continued their downward trend, Henan province has seen a sharp rise in infections
- Public discontent over the handling of the outbreak is growing – highlighted by reports pregnant women and heart attack victims are being denied treatment
Covid-19 cases in Xian, the Chinese city at the centre of the country’s worst outbreak since the early months of the pandemic, continued their downward trend amid ongoing discontent from residents about the cost of the strict containment measures.
As its 13 million residents entered their 15th day of lockdown on Thursday, posts on social media complained about food shortages and other problems as well as expressing anger about urgent cases being denied access to hospitals.
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“On behalf of the city health commission, I deeply apologise to this patient,” Liu told a press conference where he bowed in contrition.
“I deeply apologise for not setting up a smooth avenue for special groups to seek medical attention and for failing in my responsibilities.”
He said the commission would start “immediate rectification” and strengthen the supervision of hospitals designated for Covid-19 patients but did not provide further details.