‘Sit and wait to die’: Wuhan citizen blasts Chinese response to 'demon' coronavirus

A Chinese citizen living in the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus says the government is not being truthful with people who are "really helpless" to combat the superbug, which has killed more than 200 and infected over 9,000 throughout the country.

"Imagine being a Wuhan citizen," says the Chinese man in a video posted by the Epoch Times to Twitter. "Your family, your friends, your acquaintances mysteriously contract the disease. It's not that they refused to cooperate. They just have no choice. They can't get any medical treatments. They can't even get a diagnosis. They can only sit and wait to die."

The World Health Organization declared the virus a "global emergency threat" on Thursday as reports of the disease reaching more than 15 countries this week have created panic and caused major airlines to suspend flights to and from China.

"The symptoms of the virus are not like what the officials are saying," continued the Wuhan citizen. "Like a fever, a cough, or whatever. Actually, even if you have no fever and no cough, you could still have the disease."

Doctors have warned that the virus can be spread by people who have yet to show symptoms, which include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Chinese President Xi Jinping called the coronavirus a "demon" epidemic in his first public remarks on the epidemic.

"We are really helpless. Not all of us are brainwashed. We, too, want to live an open life of democracy, freedom," added the citizen. "Whatever happens to high-ranking officials? They'd scrape benefits off us regular people. None of us are dumb. We just have no power."

A report from Hong Kong-based outlet Initium Media claims the Chinese government has been covering up the real death toll of coronavirus victims and that doctors have sent dead bodies to be cremated in secret.