China’s ex-COVID patients live under ‘dark shadow’ of stigma

China's ex-COVID patients live under 'dark shadow' of stigma

“People are afraid they might contract the virus from all of us, so they shun all of us, ” said Zuo, who only gave her last name for fear of retribution designed for speaking to AFP.

“Recruiters verify COVID-19 testing background going back several months throughout an interview. ”

China’s strict manage measures have led to stigma against not merely recovered patients, but also their families, neighbours, friends and even frontline healthcare workers, said Jin Dongyan from the College of Biomedical Sciences at Hong Kong College.

“It is certainly unscientific to think that people who were infected as soon as will continue to take the virus and be contagious long after recovering, inch Jin told AFP.

“Due towards the lack of awareness, some fright that those who have been infected are more susceptible to becoming reinfected, but in actuality, it’s the opposite. inch

Zuo is now fighting a court battle with her company, who has refused to pay her wages given that she got sick, and who cites her disease history as a reason in order to bar her through returning to work.

Her employer, something company named Shanghai Yuanmao BPO, dropped to comment citing the pending courtroom case.

“TREATED LIKE A VIRUS”

He Yuxiu is really a Chinese social media influencer who goes by the pseudonym and has been living in Ukraine till Russia invaded.

She fled the war and came back home, then discovered a job as a Russian-language teacher in north China’s Hebei province, relieved to have still left her troubles behind.

But when her school learned that the lady had been infected with COVID-19 while in Ukraine, she was terminated.

“I never imagined I’d eliminate my first job for this reason, ” she said in the video posted on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

“Why ought to we be dealt with like a virus when we have defeated this? ”

The stigma is widespread – job advertisements for factory employees in Shanghai posted last month mentioned applicants with a great COVID-19 infection would be refused work.