THREAD: This is the story of Zhang Chi, a 39-year-old Wuhan resident who first went to the hospital 10 days ago after developing a fever. He now has viral infections in both lungs but no official diagnosis, despite having visited half a dozen hospitals. 1/ sixthtone.com/news/1005149/t…
Jan. 21: Zhang was feeling feverish, so he went out to buy a thermometer. When his temperature read 38.5° C, he went straight to Hubei Xinhua Hospital, one of the province’s top medical institutions. 2/
Zhang’s home is around 1km from the South China Seafood Wholesale Market, to which the first infections were traced. Zhang and his friends had heard rumors of a mysterious pneumonia in Wuhan in late December, but they didn’t worry, and in fact joked about it. 3/ 
“It wasn’t until I arrived at the hospital and saw medical workers in hazmat suits that I realized how serious it was,” Zhang told Sixth Tone’s reporter @DandanNee. 4/
@DandanNee A CT scan revealed a respiratory infection in his right lung, and a blood test showed he had a virus — though it wasn’t flu or any of the usual culprits. He asked to be tested for coronavirus but was declined due to a lack of resources. 5/
@DandanNee “The doctors I saw seemed very cautious about giving their real medical opinions, although I felt certain they could tell what was wrong with me,” Zhang said. 6/
@DandanNee Worried about the safety of his young daughter and elderly parents at home, Zhang checked into a hotel on the 21st—two days before Wuhan was put under lockdown, with transportation services suspended. For a few days, Zhang’s fever subsided and he started to feel healthy again. 7/
@DandanNee Jan. 24: The fever returned, so Zhang went to another facility, Liyuan Hospital. Again, medical staff informed him that a coronavirus test kit was unavailable, prescribed him some medication, and told him to go home. 8/
@DandanNee The same day, Wuhan Union Hospital released an updated medication guideline for anyone with pneumonia: Moxifloxacin (an antibiotic) and umifenovir (an antiviral), on top of the oseltamivir (generic Tamiflu) Zhang had already been prescribed. 9/
@DandanNee Jan. 25: The hotel where Zhang was staying kicked him out at 6 a.m. “They didn’t tell me the reason,” Zhang said, “only that the hotel was being commandeered by the government.” 10/
@DandanNee Zhang visited a community health center but was turned away. He went to Wuhan Central Hospital only to hear the same refrain: No coronavirus test kits, here’s a prescription, go home and rest up. The results of his second CT scan came back, showing his pneumonia had worsened. 11/
@DandanNee Medical staff directed Zhang to a government-designated observation facility, which arranged temporary accommodation for him at a local hotel. 12/
@DandanNee Jan. 26: Zhang went to a community hospital where, instead of being examined, he was told to go home. The same day, Wuhan began enforcing a ban on all non-approved vehicles in the city’s downtown area, making it difficult for people like Zhang to get to and from hospitals. 13/
Before returning to his home, Zhang arranged for a relative to take his daughter away for a while so she wouldn’t get sick. His parents, however, could not be budged, vowing to stay at home and cook for him until he recovered. 14/
Weary of waiting in endless lines for little or no answers, Zhang turned to his friends from the soccer fans’ club he runs. They helped round up some of the medication he needed. His fever subsided. 15/
Jan. 27: Zhang’s temperature remained normal. He ate regular, healthy meals and got sufficient sleep. His roguish spirit returned. Online, Zhang’s friends asked him how he had managed to recover by staying at home. He credited his resilient constitution. 16/
Jan. 29: Still feeling well, Zhang went for a third CT scan as a precaution. When he received the results the next day, it was like a punch to the gut: His pneumonia had spread to both lungs. 17/
Desperate, Zhang visited a community hospital to get a referral letter to see a doctor at a larger hospital, Wuhan Central. There, he was told his relatively mild symptoms (double pneumonia) weren’t enough to make him a high-priority coronavirus test case. 18/
Once again, Zhang was prescribed medication and sent home, where he remains today, still without a conclusive diagnosis. 19/
“The doctor just told me to go home and take the pills,” Zhang told @SixthTone. “She didn’t tell me when I should come back to the hospital for another CT scan or how long the recovery might take. I have no idea what’s going on.” 20/
@SixthTone Many people in Wuhan who think they might be infected with the coronavirus are all too familiar with the difficulty of getting the one test with the power to either confirm or allay their fears. 21/
@SixthTone While it’s hard to estimate how many people like Zhang there are in Wuhan, being shunted from one hospital to another, it’s safe to say he’s not alone. 22/end
