Anxiety, Money Woes Haunt Some Cured Virus Patients

Some recovered Covid-19 patients say they are struggling with anxiety and financial strain and are seeking urgent government help to weather the disruption the virus has caused to their lives.

Two people who had earlier caught the virus appeared at a media briefing on Thursday to explain their plight, saying they need medical and financial support to get their lives back on track again.

One of them, a woman surnamed Wong, told reporters that she has been suffering from insomnia and anxiety since she was discharged from hospital in late April, following a month-long stay in an isolation ward.

She said she is worried about the long-term effects of the drugs she was treated with. A fear that she may still be carrying a small amount of the virus also is haunting her, she said.

Although she had twice tested negative for the virus before being discharged, reports that some patients later tested positive again continues to hound her, said Wong.

To put her mind at rest, she reached out to the hospital and the Centre for Health Protection to ask for another test, but was told that she would only be given one with a doctor's referral letter.

Wong said she wishes the Hospital Authority would offer free or affordable tests for recovered Covid-19 patients, so they can confidently return to work and meet up with their family and friends.

She said many recovered patients like herself need professional help to get back to normalcy.

Another recovered patient, a woman surnamed Cheung, said she has been struggling to make ends meet after she was discharged from hospital early this month.

She said she is only allowed to return to work next month, and is now on leave without pay.

Cheung said she had a monthly salary of HK$13,000 before she came down with the virus and she is now struggling to pay rent and other expenses.

She said the government should provide urgent financial aid for recovered patients and their families, to help them survive this difficult period.

Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki, who has been helping the two women, slammed the government for failing to offer help to such people under its two anti-pandemic relief packages, calling the Carrie Lam administration "shameless".

Kwok said this government is doing worse than the administration during Sars 17 years ago in helping recovered patients.

He said during that time a trust fund was established to offer aid to those in need and special clinics were set up to keep track of their health.