Wuhan director & family dies of Covid-19 virus after delays in treatment due to lack of hospital beds

Devastating.

Zhangxin Zheng | February 18, 2020, 11:18 AM

A Chinese film director from Hubei province, 55-year-old Chang Kai, died from Covid-19.

Within 12 days, not only did Covid-19 take Chang's life, but it also killed his sister and parents.

Film director & 3 family members died

According to Chinese media, an obituary was put out by a production house in Hubei on Feb. 16 to inform the public about Chang's passing.

The 55-year-old died in a community hospital in Huangpi District of Wuhan at around 4:50pm on Feb. 14 from a Covid-19 infection.

According to one of the staff at the production house, Chang's father died earlier from Covid-19 on Feb. 3 at home.

A doctor was sent to his house the day before to check on Chang's father, but his condition deteriorated too quickly and he succumbed to it hours later.

Chang's mother was sent to the Wuchang hospital on Feb.4 and died four days later.

Both elderly parents were medical professors and were said to have been healthy prior to getting infected by Covid-19.

Chang also displayed symptoms on Feb. 4 and was sent to a community hospital at Huangpi District.

Back then, Chang's wife told the staff member that Chang was feeling very lethargic.

Chang eventually passed away on Feb. 14 on the same day as his sister even though she was not staying in the same house as the rest.

Chang's wife was also diagnosed positive a few days after Chang and is still in hospital.

Chang leaves behind his wife and a son who is studying abroad.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Chang's son did not return home.

Rejected by hospitals due to lack of beds

According to Chang's will, Chang wrote that the family was enjoying a gathering together on the eve of Chinese New Year even though they could not have their reunion dinner at a hotel as planned.

However, his father suddenly turned ill on the first day of Chine New Year on Jan. 25, developing a cough and fever.

Chang's father was having difficulties breathing, so Chang wanted to send him to a hospital for treatment.

They were rejected by a few hospitals due to the lack of beds even when he tried to seek help using his connections.

Disappointed, they returned home and tried to take care of his ill-stricken father.

Chang added in his will that the passing of his father was a huge blow to his mother who was already exhausted by the illness.

Chang's mother eventually succumbed to the virus as well.

Tried begging to enter the hospital again

After taking care of his infected parents for days at home, both Chang and his wife were inevitably infected with Covid-19 as well.

No matter how he lowered himself to beg to enter the hospital, he just could not get an admission into the hospital until his condition deteriorated, he said in his will.

At the end of his will, he said to his loved ones, including his son who's studying in the United Kingdom, that "[he] had done his best as a filial son, responsible father, loving husband and sincere person".

"Farewell, to those I love and those who loved me," he ended.

Here's his will in full, circulated on Weibo:

Image via Weibo.

News of Chang's death is likely to spark further backlash in China, where anger had grown over the death of a whistleblower doctor who warned about the virus outbreak at the initial stages.

Top photo via Weibo