Large-scale "mycoplasma pneumonia" infections have broken out in many places in China, and major pediatric hospitals are overcrowded. Radio Free Asia called many hospitals in Beijing and Tianjin. Many hospitals were full and closed, and some had to wait 24 hours. Medical resources were seriously insufficient.
Mycoplasma pneumonia may reach its peak in Beijing in November
Cases of mycoplasma pneumonia have increased significantly in many places in China
The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced at the beginning of this month that the daily number of respiratory infection cases admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital had reached 3,500 to 3,600. "Teacher Li is not your teacher" and other social platform "X" users posted multiple screenshots on the evening of the 21st, showing that Beijing and Tianjin were suspected of widespread mycoplasma pneumonia infections, and the number of patients in major pediatric hospitals in Beijing increased sharply.
Chinese media reported that this wave is dominated by respiratory diseases, and cross-infection between influenza and mycoplasma has occurred. Many children have developed "white lungs" after infection. The pediatric outpatient clinics and emergency rooms of major hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangxi, Henan, etc. are full. Some hospitals have an influx of tens of thousands of people, and 3,000 emergency calls have been made. The medical system is overloaded, and shelters have even been activated to house sick children. Disputes over medical treatment have also been reported to the police.
Beijing Friendship Hospital: Five pediatricians treat thousands of patients a day
The Department of Pediatrics of Beijing Friendship Hospital posted a reminder that "the waiting time for emergency calls is now more than 24 hours." Radio Free Asia called the hospital at around 3 pm on the 22nd.
The pediatric operator at Beijing Friendship Hospital said: "At least we have to wait for more than 24 hours. We have to wait until tomorrow."
RFA: "Why did you have to wait so long? How many people are waiting in front now?"
Operator of Youyi Pediatrics: "If you want to hang up now, there will be at least a thousand people waiting in front of you. They are still calling yesterday's call! Today's call has not been read! Today's call will be seen tomorrow. If you register now, you have to wait until You can only watch it after 5 or 6 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”
The operator of Youyi Pediatrics said that there are three doctors in the outpatient department and two doctors in the emergency department. There are five doctors in total. There are at least more than 1,000 calls a day. There are two doctors left after 5:30 and one doctor left after 11pm, so it takes so long to wait. .
An operator at Beijing New Century Children's Hospital said: "The waiting time is extremely long now, especially during the peak period of the virus. There are no appointment numbers today. If you have to queue up on site to wait for an additional number, you will have to wait at least four hours."
Parents complain online to Tianjin Beichen Hospital and get number 3,000
Radio Free Asia also called Tianjin Beichen Hospital, which was widely rumored to have registered number 3,000. The operator said: "Anyway, if you can't get a number on the new medical insurance, you probably won't have a number."
RFA: "Can't we arrange it on site?"
Operator: "No, there are no more numbers, and the plus numbers are all filled up. You don't even care."
The operator at another Tianjin Children's Hospital said: "We don't have an emergency department, and we're closed now. You can come early tomorrow morning!"
RFA: "It's only half past two, why are you closed?"
Operator at Tianjin Children's Hospital: "Because we can't finish it, the doctors get off work at four o'clock. There are too many patients. We only have two doctors."
Another hospital told this station that it takes ten minutes on average to see one doctor. With so few doctors, it would take a whole day to see dozens of patients.
National Taiwan University Pediatrics: Virus variants add immune debt and drug resistance
Huang Limin, an attending physician at the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia that mycoplasma pneumonia is called "Mycoplasma pneumonia" in Taiwan. It is a bacterial pneumonia that occurs frequently in autumn and winter and is mainly transmitted through droplets. Recently, due to mutations, the morbidity rate has become higher and more serious, causing a pandemic. Some people need to be hospitalized. Children are more likely to get sick, and there are many cases of the same family being infected one after another.
Huang Limin mentioned that the mutation rate of this epidemic is low in Europe, and Asia should be more worried. Especially during the new crown epidemic, China's lockdown was tight. People wore masks and went out less often. They had not had respiratory infections for a long time and lacked antibodies. Once the lockdown was lifted, respiratory diseases They all came back, causing a pandemic and creating an "immunity debt." In addition, the Chinese people have the highest resistance to antibiotics, and the problems they face are even more serious.
Huang Limin gave an example: "There has been no epidemic for many years. In the past, oral antibiotics were used to control the disease and then you could go home and rest. (Now) because of drug resistance, oral antibiotics are not effective, and you have to go to the hospital or emergency room. The treatment effect has changed. Poor, it cannot be digested at the first level. It is especially easy for children to get it. The mutation becomes serious and requires hospitalization. A large number of patients appear in a short period of time, causing the hospital to be crowded. "
Graded medical care is not trusted
In an interview with Radio Free Asia, Gong Yujian, a Chinese dissident in Taiwan, said that he asked friends who work in the mainland medical system and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention why mycoplasma pneumonia paralyzed the medical system. There are three main reasons. Xi Jinping’s implementation of hierarchical medical treatment, village and village There are health clinics in communities, health centers in towns and villages, second-level hospitals at the county level, and third-level hospitals and specialist hospitals at the fourth level. However, there is a serious shortage of the most down-to-earth medical manpower and equipment. There is a lack of red envelopes for extra money, and medical staff are reluctant to go. 90% of the health centers only have signs and no fixed doctors or pharmacists.
Gong Yujian mentioned that China has implemented the one-child policy for a long time in the past. When the beloved child of the family fell ill, the parents and elders insisted on sending the child to a high-end hospital, causing traffic jams in tertiary hospitals and specialized hospitals and a serious shortage of medical resources.
Gong Yujian said that the most important thing is that China's medical system has a big problem. If you go to the hospital for a common cold, cough or fever, doctors will basically give the patient direct injections and bottles. They want quick treatment results, but they cause harm to the human body. The immune system is weakening day by day, and drug resistance is increasing. This is rarely the case when he visits hospitals in Taiwan.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia, Ms. Li from Beijing also said that the distribution of medical resources in Beijing is uneven. Small places such as community hospitals are like small pharmacies. The technical strength, equipment, and facilities cannot keep up. There is no specialization for pediatrics, and a slightly higher level of technology is needed. can't be processed. In addition, folk thinking has also formed a superstition, believing that for more serious illnesses, you should go to a large hospital for peace of mind.
Uttarakhand Tunnel Accident: 16 meters of drilling still left, rescue of 41 workers will take 12 to 14 hours
Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: According to the rescue teams, 16 meters of excavation is still left. Three pipes of 6-6 meters are still to be laid. It will take about 4 hours to lay one pipe. Only after that the workers can be reached.
The rescue operation of 41 laborers trapped for 12 days in the under-construction Silkyara Tunnel (Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse) in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand is still going on. On Thursday, November 23, excavation of the remaining 18 meters was started to reach the workers, but after tunnel drilling of 1.8 meters, the excavation had to be stopped for a long time due to the presence of rebar in the debris. Later the rebar was cut and drilling work started again. About 16 meters of drilling is still left. In such a situation, it may take another 12 to 14 hours to evacuate the workers.
10 updates of the rescue operation of workers trapped in Uttarkashi Tunnel:-
By Wednesday, the NDRF team had cleared a 45-meter path to reach the workers. On Thursday the pipe was pushed 1.8 meters. So far 46.8 meters of pipe has been pushed. Nodal Secretary Neeraj Khairwal said that due to the presence of rebar in the debris, there is a problem in the drilling work.
According to the rescue teams, 16 meters of excavation is still left. Three pipes of 6-6 meters are still to be laid. It will take about 4 hours to lay one pipe. Only after that the workers can be reached.
Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and OSD in the Uttarakhand government, said that we will reach the workers in 12 to 14 hours. It will take 2 to 3 hours to bring them out with the help of NDRF.
National Disaster Management Authority member Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain said that the rescue operation is a challenging task. Keeping the hope that rescue will happen in the next two hours puts pressure on the work. This is wrong in this situation, both the trapped workers and the rescue team are in danger. We have to take care of the safety of both.
The path for 45 meters of the tunnel is clear. The NDRF team has gone inside up to 45 meters. On Thursday morning, news came that the American auger machine drilling in the tunnel had malfunctioned, which has been repaired.
Union Minister General VK Singh (retired) also reached the site on Thursday. He entered the Silkyara Tunnel with some senior officials. VK Singh also took stock of the rescue operation of the workers.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also reached the site on Thursday. He inquired about the well being of the workers over phone. CM tried to boost the morale of the workers. Inquiring about the health of the workers, the CM said that they should maintain their morale for some more time. Don't worry about anything.
CM Dhami said that Prime Minister Modi called and took information about the ongoing rescue operation to safely rescue the workers trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel.
After the Uttarkashi Tunnel accident, the Road and Transport Ministry has decided to conduct a safety audit of 29 tunnels being built across the country. For this, an agreement has been signed with Konkan Railway Corporation Limited.
19 agencies of the central and state governments are involved in the rescue operation to rescue the workers trapped in the tunnel. Senior officials are also camping in Silkyara for co-ordination between them.
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