Chinese pop-star Jane Zhang deliberately got a Covid-19 infection so she could not get infected during her New Year's Eve concert, according to a report.
The South China Morning Post reported that singer-songwriter Zhang shared on Chinese social media platform Weibo that she visited Covid-19 infected persons to catch the infections. The infection only lasted for a day and she now feels better, said Zhang's post.
Zhang's post attracted both criticism and appreciation from social media userse. While some said that she behaved irresponsibly, others said they understood her situation.
The news of Zhang deliberately infecting herself comes at a time when China is witnessing an unprecedented Covid-19 wave which is overwhelming its healthcare system and leading to shortages of hospital beds and medicines.
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Who is Chinese singer Jane Zhang?
Jane Zhang, 38, is a popular Chinese singer and songwriter. She has been on the Chinese music scene for over two decades.
At 15, Zhang began performing in pubs to support her family. She became nationally known when she won a national contest in 2005, reports SCMP, adding that she is popularly called Dolphin Princess.
"She is known for her signature whistle register and has 43 million followers on Weibo," adds SCMP.
Zhang's songs have been popular in the United States as well. Billboard in 2017 reported, "Back in October 2016, Chinese pop star Jane Zhang released the Timabaland-produced “Dust My Shoulders Off”. The song shot up to the top 5 on the iTunes U.S. charts and it’s video collected over 12.5 million views on YouTube. This feat placed Jane on the cusp of successfully breaking the U.S. market as a Chinese artist."
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Why not get ill now so I recover by concert: Zhang
In a post that she later deleted, Zhang said she thought that it's better to get ill now and recover by the time of the concert. This way, as per Zhang, she would not risk infecting those around her if she caught an infection during the concert.
The SCMP quoted Zhang as posting, "All my friends, family and colleagues have caught the coronavirus, but I wasn’t infected yet. I was worried that if I got infected when the concert was held, it would increase the risk of my colleagues being infected again. So I was thinking that since it is an inevitable thing, why not get ill now when I don’t need to leave home so that I can go to work after I recover? It would be safer for all of us."
Symptoms only lasted a day: Zhang
Zhang on social media said she went to the homes of “sheep” –a colloquial term for virus carriers in mainland China– to get infected, as per SCMP.
Zhang added that her symptoms only lasted a day and she took fluids and Vitaminc C tablets.
She said, "I began to catch a fever, my throat began to ache, my nose began to ache, my whole body began to ache, my head began to ache...before I finally fell asleep...After sleeping for a day and a night, all my symptoms disappeared...I just drank plenty of water and took vitamin C, without taking any medicine before I got well."
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Zhang went on to ask on social media if her case would be considered as a positive since her symptoms only lasted a day.
How did people react?
Social media users offered polarised reactions, with some lashing out at her and some supporting her.
“I don’t understand why she is so insensitive. As a public figure, how could she say this? She is encouraging people to get infected, which is not OK,” said one user, as per SCMP.
Two users also sided with Zhang. One said, “You just did what many coronavirus-negative people want to do. Next time, please remember just to do it, but not say it publicly."
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"we totally understand you. You are not wrong. You are always my most loved singer," said another, as per SCMP.
