Xi’an hospital punished for refusing entry to pregnant woman

BEIJING (AP) — Hospital officials in the northern Chinese city of Xi’an have been punished after a pregnant woman miscarried after being refused entry, reportedly for not having current COVID-19 test results. The city government announced that the hospital’s general manager has been suspended and the heads of the outpatient department and medical department sacked. A government statement said the incident, a video of which was circulated widely online, had “caused widespread concern in society and caused a severe social impact.” Xi’an, a city of 13 million, has been under strict lockdown for more than two weeks, prompting scattered criticisms over shortages of food and heavy-handed behavior by authorities, who are under intense pressure to bring down COVID-19 case numbers.