Chinese Father Successfully Fights to Get Life-Saving Treatment for His Quarantined Son

Viral video shows 9-year old's dad desperately confronting isolation facility guards

Residents queue to undergo nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 in Anyang, in central China's Henan Province, on Jan. 26, 2022. STR/AFP via Getty Images

A Chinese man who was brave enough to confront quarantine facility guards saved his son’s life.

In a video clip that went viral on Chinese social media, the 9-year-old’s father is seen demanding medical attention for his son outside of an isolation facility. Father and son were both locked down in the school—converted to a quarantine facility—in China’s central Henan Province.

Due to his father’s persistence, the boy was finally taken to a local hospital where he received medical treatment.

Using the pseudonym “Mr. Zheng,” the father of the boy spoke with The Epoch Times Chinese language edition on Oct. 20. He criticized local authorities for the inhumane quarantine policies.

The ordeal began, Zheng said, when his family was sent to Wanji High School in Ruzhou city, Henan Province.

“Neither of us was positive for COVID-19 when we were taken to the isolation facility,” Zheng said, “we were only close contacts with someone who was suspected to be positive [for COVID-19].”

Poor Conditions in Isolation Facility

The video shows the poor sanitary and living conditions in the isolation facility.

Zheng told The Epoch Times that after his family members were isolated in the school, where over 1,000 people were kept, they developed fevers.

“The conditions in the school were too poor,” Zheng said.

He said entire families were locked down in the makeshift quarantine facility.

“Families with three or four members are isolated in the school. Eight people share one room, which used to be students’ dormitories.”

A video clip obtained by The Epoch Times shows rooms with bunk beds, crowded corridors, shared public toilets and showers, and people fighting for food.

Zheng said that his family was isolated in different rooms. He and his son shared a room with several other families.

“The next morning after we arrived, a child in our room developed a high fever. Then, on that night, two people had a fever. On the third day, four people had a fever. On the fifth day, all the other six people had a fever. The following day, my son and I had a fever, too,” Zheng said.

Zheng said he didn’t understand why they couldn’t be quarantined at home, where they had better living conditions and could avoid cross-infection. “If we had stayed at home, it definitely wouldn’t have been like this,” he said, adding that they were all healthy before they were taken to the school.

Locked Down, Inadequate Medical Treatment

Many people in the facility began to show symptoms, including high fevers, but little medical treatment was given to them, according to Zheng.

After six days in lockdown, Zheng said, they had only taken two PCR tests. Zheng said there was no adequate medical treatment for the sick. Antipyretics—fever-reducing medicines—were given out once a day, but even those were in short supply.

Volunteers who worked at the isolation facility sometimes managed to buy antipyretics, which they prioritized for patients with severe symptoms.

Zheng saw that patients were not allowed to leave the quarantine facility even if they were in critical condition. He became determined to do everything he could to get medical treatment for his son, who had developed a high fever.

Desperate Father

On the fifth day of isolation, both Zheng and his son had fevers. Zheng could bear it, but his son’s fever was spiking.

“My son’s body temperature was very high for the whole night. So I went to get him some antipyretics, and by the morning, the antipyretics were basically finished, but his fever still stayed,” Zheng said. At one point the boy’s fever reached 104℉.

Unable to get medical help for his son, and seeing that they would not be allowed to go to the hospital, Zheng angrily quarreled with security guards, as seen in the video clip.

His persistence saved his son’s life. The boy was finally taken to the hospital, where he received medical treatment. His son’s temperature is normal now, Zheng said.

Alleged Deaths in Ruzhou Lockdown Make Headlines

Not all Ruzhou’s residents are so lucky. The city made international headlines this month with reports of at least two people dying from lack of medical attention in quarantine facilities.

Guo Jingjing was also isolated in the Wanji high school quarantine facility. The 16-year-old reportedly died on Oct. 18 after her family’s pleas for medical help were ignored. Her father claims she was healthy when she was taken to the isolation facility. After finally being taken to the hospital, her family claims she was left unattended and died.

Fifty-six-year-old veteran Wang Xinglin was taken to a makeshift isolation facility at Ruzhou No. 1 High School on Oct. 17. He died in the isolation facility on Oct. 21 after his symptoms went untreated, his niece disclosed on WeChat.

Wang’s niece told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 21 that Wang was living by himself before he was taken to the isolation facility, as his children were working in other cities and his wife was out of town for a visit. She said that Wang seldom left his home and was unlikely to be positive for COVID-19 or even to be in close contact with a COVID-19 patient.

People Are Rising Up as Harsh Zero-COVID Measures Continue

Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as China’s leader, at the 20th national meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Chinese regime announced on Oct. 23.

On Oct. 16, in a speech delivered to 2,000-plus delegates at the meeting, Xi defended the CCP’s zero-COVID policy and argued that the approach protected people’s lives and economy. He did not mention the economic damage and widespread suffering caused by the harsh policies.

To adhere to the party line, local Chinese authorities literally lock residents in their homes with wires or locks. Deaths are reported in heart-rending online posts, but the information is removed quickly by Chinese authorities.

A Chinese citizen recently called on her fellow compatriots to stand up against the harsh COVID policies. “If everyone said no to the CCP, what would the result be?” said Ms. Liu (a pseudonym) in an interview with The Epoch Times.

A rare protest took place in Beijing on Oct. 13, three days before the CCP’s national meeting.

Activist Peng Lifa unfurled two banners on the city’s Sitong Bridge, demanding an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) draconian zero-COVID policies and the removal of Xi Jinping as China’s top leader.

Zhao Fenghua, Li Jing, and Nong Ning contributed to this report.