The restless sleep of F0 relatives outside the treatment area

Waiting for news from severe F0

Near midnight, a group of people were still squatting on the roadside, right in front of the gate of the Tropical Diseases Center (Nghe An General Hospital), chatting. They were all relatives of F0s being treated at the Tropical Diseases Center. “I had only dozed off for 5 minutes when an ambulance passed by, siren blaring. I couldn’t sleep anymore,” said Mr. Nguyen Dan (68 years old), in Nam Dan district. The street lights were dim, but enough to clearly see the figures lying curled up under makeshift mosquito nets on the roadside.

Sleep was awakened by the sound of ambulance sirens continuously coming and going. Photo: Tien Hung

“They’re just lying there, no one’s sleeping yet. How can we sleep here?” Mr. Dan added. The Tropical Diseases Center is the last line of treatment for Covid-19 patients in Nghe An. It is treating about 300 F0, most of whom have underlying diseases, severe and critical symptoms, and need ventilators. Every 10 minutes or so, an ambulance passes by the gate, interrupting the restless sleep of the patients’ relatives, who are lying around outside.

Mr. Dan's wife was infected with Covid-19 nearly 10 days ago. Due to many underlying diseases, she gradually became more serious and was taken to the Tropical Disease Center for treatment. The children all work far away, so Mr. Dan had to ask the neighbors to look after the house while he went to the city to take care of his wife. It was called taking care of the sick, but in fact, due to regulations, since his wife was transferred here, the couple have not seen each other once. Even so, Mr. Dan is on duty right outside the gate every day. Every morning, he usually packs a few essentials and milk and leaves them in front of the gate, asking the medical staff to deliver them to her.

Inside the makeshift tents. Photo: Tien Hung

Mr. Dan said that in Vinh City, he and his wife did not know anyone. He was afraid of wasting money, so he did not dare to sleep in a motel, let alone a hotel. The first night, because he did not know, Mr. Dan had to sit on a stone bench all night. That night, Mr. Dan could not sleep for a minute, partly because he was worried about his wife, partly because there was no place to lie down and because of mosquito bites. The next day, he followed the example of others, rented a folding bed, bought a mosquito net and slept on the sidewalk. “Luckily, I did not have to buy a tarp. Because someone had just returned, they gave me their spot. Otherwise, I would have spent more than 100,000 VND to buy this thin tarp,” Mr. Dan said.

Our conversations with these people were often interrupted by the voices of medical staff calling their families. “Every time someone’s name was mentioned, I was startled. I was afraid something had happened to my family,” Mr. Dan added.

There are days when hundreds of people sleep rough along the sidewalk in front of the Tropical Disease Center. Photo: Tien Hung

Trouble sleeping at night

The entire sidewalk stretching over 100 meters in front of the Tropical Disease Center is covered with such tarps. Thanks to the fence over 3 meters high next to it, the patient's family spread out the tarps to make temporary tents. "This folding bed is rented from the hospital for 100,000 VND, so it costs the same to sleep for a few days. The mosquito net costs 150,000 VND, and the blankets and pillows are brought from home," said Ms. Tran Thi Long (58 years old), Anh Son district. Ms. Long has also been staying in this tent for more than 5 days to take care of her husband who is an F0.

Every day, they eat cheap meals right next to the hospital. Anyone who needs to shower or wash clothes has to pay an additional 10,000 VND to the restaurant, Ms. Long confided.

Folding beds are rented from the hospital. Sleeping here, they will save about 200,000 VND per day on motel rent. Photo: Tien Hung

On peak days, many nights there were nearly 200 people crowded together to sleep on the roadside here waiting for news from F0. That's not to mention dozens of people who just arrived on the first night, sitting around in the yard just to wait for the night to end. "Last night it rained heavily, the wind blew away the tarpaulin. Everyone was soaked, even their belongings. We didn't know what to do, so we just sat there waiting for our clothes to dry," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhat (40 years old) in Bac Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district.

Even though her face was covered with a medical mask, it still could not hide the hardship of this woman. With her eyes already dark after many sleepless nights, Ms. Nhat said that today was the 18th day she had been here. Ms. Nhat's mother is over 70 years old and has many underlying diseases, so after being found to be infected with Covid-19, she was immediately taken to Field Hospital No. 8, and then, due to her worsening condition, she was transferred here. "Almost everyone in the family was infected, so no one could replace her. I stayed alone to take care of her. I was also infected before but recovered," Ms. Nhat said. As a worker at a garment factory in Yen Thanh district, but because she had to take too many days off to take care of her mother, Ms. Nhat also had another worry: losing her job.

This is the 18th day that Ms. Nhat has had to live in this situation. Photo: Tien Hung

“At that time, my superiors called and said if I didn’t come to work tomorrow, they would fire me. I didn’t know what to say. Should I leave my mother here alone?” Nhat said, her eyes brimming with tears. According to Nhat, the most haunting days of sleeping in this temporary shelter were when they witnessed cases of Covid-19 patients who died and were transferred by ambulance. “Many people died. There were nearly ten cases a day. Every time the ambulance passed by, everyone was silent. The worry for their loved ones fighting Covid-19 inside increased,” Nhat said.

According to the reporter's investigation, each room near the hospital costs at least 200,000 VND. However, for some people, it is not a pity to spend money but to accept the wind and rain. "Actually, staying right in front of the gate like this is for peace of mind. Even though it doesn't help anything, sleeping in a hotel is not safe," said Mr. Tran Trong Tien from Dien Chau district.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, Nghe An has recorded more than 333,000 Covid-19 cases. Of these, nearly 90,000 cases are still under treatment. Severe F0 cases will be transferred to the Tropical Disease Center for treatment. Currently, the whole province has recorded more than 150 deaths due to Covid-19. At the Tropical Disease Center, since the beginning of the year, deaths have been recorded almost every day.

From a province with a low number of infections, but since the Lunar New Year until now, the epidemic in Nghe An has broken out strongly, with tens of thousands of F0s detected every day. Currently, Nghe An is the locality with the number of infections second only to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong. However, with the number of infections per day showing no signs of slowing down, it is predicted that in the near future, the total number of infections in Nghe An will surpass Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong.