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The interview was conducted on April 11 by Gu Xiaohua of the Chinese-language Epoch Times. The following script has been edited for clarity.
A woman recounts the time her husband contracted the CCP virus (commonly known as the novel coronavirus) and her lone struggle in the virus epicenter of Wuhan.
Ms. Chen, 67, runs an auto parts business. She contracted the CCP virus from her husband who passed away on February 11. She had been quarantined for four days at the time of the interview.
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Reporter: “When did your husband get sick? In January?”
Ms. Chen: “He had a fever on January 30. There was no place to go, every clinic was packed. Too many patients. Even the hospital corridors were full of people. We are close to the west Wuhan Union Hospital.
I took him to the hospital on a motorcycle. There were people trying to make an appointment in the outpatient department 24 hours a day. For four days, I had driven him there just to get a shot, and then bring him home. It would take a whole day to get it done—just to get a shot and get the medicine. On the fourth day, he was too weak to get on the motorcycle. I had to secure him with a rope so he wouldn’t fall off the motorcycle as we drove to the hospital.
On the fifth day, he could not move anymore. We were in the hospital. I went home to grab a blanket, and I left him in the corridor. When I returned, I arranged a row of benches and covered them with the blanket to make a makeshift bed. But he kept on falling off. The nurse was too tired and too busy to help. Finally, a hospital leader took pity and arranged a ward for us.
In less than two weeks, he passed away. Before he died, he lost his appetite. The ventilator kept him alive, but he couldn’t take a sip of water as he was hooked up to it.
In the ward, family members are required to take care of the patients. I began to feel ill the day before. I had a fever too. I was really tired. I thought my husband was already motionless. He could barely move his fingers. He was very quiet. He didn’t drink water. I had to hang in there. So I went to the outpatient to schedule an appointment for myself. I spent the whole day doing the tests.
When I went back to the ward, the nurse was furious. I told her she can do whatever she wanted to. I will soon be gone after he’s gone. Then I talked to my husband and said, “I will follow you after you’re gone.” I felt hopeless.
The next day, the hospital transferred my husband to the new part of the hospital. I got excited because I thought he’d be alright.
It was the evening of the 10th [February], I remembered well. He was transferred to the new hospital after 9 p.m. The next morning, the hospital called and told me he had passed away. They wanted me to sign a document. I was very sick at the time. I thought, what’s the point of signing this document? Just let it be. They can decide whatever they want to do. Let the government decide. He’s already gone. Nothing can be changed.”
Reporter: “Did you also get the shot?”
Ms. Chen: “I did, for three days. I also took the medicine. I thought I can’t go home and get my kids sick. So I stayed in the hospital. There was no food. The city was locked down. So, I put on a mask and went to a nearby shop to get some instant noodles. I was very careful and wore protective gear so I wouldn’t infect others. On the third night, I was told that I could go to the Red Cross Hospital.
The Red Cross Hospital was packed with people. They did the test on me, including the CT. I stayed overnight. The doctor prescribed the medicine. I needed oxygen, but the oxygen tank was empty. But when they found another one, it had no oxygen tube. The nurse asked me to find one. Feeling unwell, I had to drag myself while looking for a tube. And when I found one, the nurse plugged it into the oxygen tank.
The next evening another call came. We were transferred to the makeshift hospital in the stadium. At that time, I felt too weak. I could not even walk to the restroom— it was really far away.
After getting a health assessment, the doctor transferred me back to the west Wuhan Union Hospital. I stayed there for another ten plus days.”
Reporter: “How was the treatment at the hospital?”
Ms. Chen: “My stomach was not feeling so well. I had diarrhea for several days. I was given all sorts of shots for more than 10 days. Finally, I felt a little better. When I was in the makeshift hospital, I was constantly out of breath whenever I moved a little. I felt better in the west Wuhan Union hospital.”
Ms. Chen: “It’s a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Today is the fourth day, so I still have ten more days to go.”
Reporter: “What else have you noticed in the hospital?”
Ms. Chen: “While we were in the hospital during those two weeks, people kept on dying. When my husband was admitted into the hospital, I saw dead people being removed every day. Some died right after they arrived, some took a few hours. They all died quickly.”
Ms. Chen: “I have awakened. I realized that money is useless, and I want to live life to the fullest. I am 67 years old. I won’t live much longer. I’m lucky to be alive.
I have to stay strong. How can I survive otherwise? Life goes on. Those who have never been infected by the virus treat us as if we are ghosts. It is a miserable life for people like us. I have heard discriminative stories almost every day.
The government should allow us to air our grievances. How can we lead our life later? With or without contracting the virus, how are we going to live our lives? It’s a really bitter situation. The Wuhan people who have been infected are being discriminated against. It’s really painful.”
