Shanghai's?heaviest snowfall in 24 years has led to a sharp
rise in injuries, the local public health authority said
yesterday.
Hospitals in Shanghai have reported 2,982 injuries over the past
few days resulting from the slippery conditions.
"Days of rain and snow have put tremendous pressure on people,"
Song Guofan, an official with Shanghai public health bureau,
said.
"The number of fractures and trauma patients is rising fast," he
said.
On Monday alone, the number of fracture cases hit a record with
close to 1,000 people needing medical attention for broken
bones.
Hospitals have reported receiving two to three times the usual
number of people for the time of year.
The city has also seen emergency operations surge with the onset
of the inclement weather.
Guo Yongqin, director of the Shanghai medical emergency center,
said last week the center sent out ambulances about 700 times a
day.
On Monday, the number of dispatches soared to an unprecedented
793.
"The medical emergency center has increased the number of its
ambulances by 10 percent. We want to meet the demand of medical
emergencies during these times," Guo said.
The authorities have warned people to take extra care when
walking in streets, following the Shanghai meteorological bureau's
upgrade of its icy roads alert to the second-highest level on
Monday.
"I have never seen such heavy snow. I walked very carefully on
the street but still almost fell down this morning when going to
work," Chen Yan, a 25-year-old worker at a multinational company,
said.
"The streets are very slippery. I have asked my parents not to
go out to avoid slipping and falling," Chen said.
(China Daily January 30, 2008)