Access to Coronavirus test kits have been likened to “winning lottery tickets” in Wuhan.
Yesterday, the Chinese city shut down its public transport in an effort to contain the deadly 2019-nCoV virus. Neighbouring cities Huanggang and Ezhou are also in lockdown.
Patients in Wuhan are now left waiting for hours to see doctors.
“The hospitals have been flooding with patients, there are thousands, I haven’t seen so many before,” a doctor in the region said. “I am scared because this is a new virus and the figures are alarming.”
The typical incubation period of the virus is around seven days. Doctors are concerned that people can thereby pass on the virus without showing symptoms.
One Chinese expert reportedly believed he contracted the virus through his eyeballs.
“Screening is difficult because of the one-week incubation period – people may be travelling without realizing they have the virus. That means the actual figure of people infected is probably higher,” the doctor said.
“It is spread through human-to-human transmission and there are also medical-staff infections,” the doctor added. “We were told two days ago not to go to work at the hospital, because of the risk of the virus spreading.”
SCMP reporter Mimi Lau tweeted that getting Coronavirus test kits was like winning the lottery.
“Quick test kit shortage for #WuhanCoronavirus is reportedly delaying diagnosis,” Lau tweeted. “Patients at major Wuhan hospitals presenting fever symptoms likened test kit access to winning lottery tickets. Kit manufactures working around the clock continue struggling to meet massive demand.”
Quick test kit shortage for #WuhanCoronavirus is reportedly delaying diagnosis. Patients at major Wuhan hospitals presenting fever symptoms likened test kit access to winning lottery tickets. Kit manufactures working around the clock continue struggling to meet massive demand pic.twitter.com/B9qVCxCOMQ
— Mimi Lau (@gzmimi) January 24, 2020
