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Chinese hospital pharmacist, 28, dies after 10 straight days helping fight coronavirus
- Song Yingjie was found dead in his dormitory after a night spent checking motorists’ temperatures at the motorway checkpoint to which he had been seconded
- During the day he helped manage and distribute essential medical supplies at the hospital he had worked at for the past three years
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A 28-year-old hospital pharmacist who worked for 10 straight days helping to fight the coronavirus outbreak in central China has died of a heart attack, according to state media.
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Song Yingjie, who was part of a medical team checking the temperatures of drivers at a motorway checkpoint in Hunan – the province directly to the south of the epicentre of the contagion – was found dead in his dormitory in the early hours of Monday morning, the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily reported on Wednesday.
The native of Hengshan county, Hunan, whose regular job was as a hospital pharmacist, had worked without a break since January 25, the report said.
Song had been seconded to temperature check duties by the local health authority in response to a central government order for all motorists using major roads and motorways to be screened for symptoms of infection.
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He worked mostly at night, but during the day was also responsible for managing and distributing medical supplies at the hospital he had worked at for the past three years.
Song’s colleagues described him as hardworking and helpful, and were shocked by his sudden death.
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