US patient receives $840,000 bill for COVID-19 treatment
Washington: A high school teacher from the US state of Colorado was shocked to receive a medical bill of $840,000 for his treatment for COVID-19, local media reported.
The bill received by Robert Dennis, a Centennial High School teacher, covered Dennis’ time at Denver’s Sky Ridge hospital, where he was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit for two weeks, reports Xinhua news agency.
However, what was not included was Dennis’ three weeks at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital, or his wife’s trips to the emergency room when she was also fighting the virus.The couple estimated that their total bills would top $1.5 million. The couple had insurance and they planned to call to make sure that they were covered.
“Seeing that number yesterday for the first bill, it took your breath away again,” the wife said. “It’s scary. I don’t care how much you have covered. It’s scary to see that kind of number and not really know.” (IANS)
Street dog helps see Chinese nurse through virus traumas
Beijing: Zhang Dan was among the first to respond to the call for help in China’s coronavirus epicenter. The 36-year-old nurse worked through grueling days, ministering to patients who needed assistance from breathing to merely eating.
She struggled — but then, a little street dog helped her through. Zhang was among 42,600 medical workers brought from around China to bolster Wuhan’s overwhelmed medical system. Hospitals were crammed with patients and field clinics thrown up to handle the overflow. “I can’t save the world, but I can try my best with my tiny efforts to do what I can do to help,” Zhang said. (AP)
Romania’s PM fined over virus lapses at meeting
Bucharest: Romania’s prime minister has paid fines totaling about USD 600 for smoking indoors and holding a meeting in a government building where several Cabinet ministers and other participants did not follow social distancing rules.
In a photograph published in Romanian media, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and others can be seen smoking with food and bottles of alcohol on a table. No one in the photo wore a mask or maintained the required spacing.
Orban told the Mediafax news agency that the picture was taken on May 25, his birthday. The foreign minister and economy minister of Romania were among those attending. Romania has registered 19,133 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,259 deaths. (AP)