Caring With Covid: Infected Doctors In China Battle Virus Surge

Doctors working despite being infected, beds filled with dozens of elderly straining to breathe -- on the front lines of China's worst-ever Covid outbreak, hospitals are struggling. Many Chinese were jubilant after Beijing announced the end of mandatory quarantines this week, effectively drawing the curtain on years of hardline virus controls that had isolated the world's most populous country. But as China opens up, cases are surging. The healthcare system is straining and crematoriums are struggling to deal with the influx of bodies. At Nankai Hospital in Tianjin, around 140 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of the capital Beijing, AFP on Wednesday saw more than two dozen mostly elderly patients lying on gurneys in public areas of the emergency department. Most were hooked up to intravenous drips, and some appeared to be experiencing breathing difficulties. A few seemed to be unconscious or not fully responsive. "Yes, they all have Covid," a doctor told AFP. "The prob…