Love still fresh for devoted couple in hospital

An elderly Shanghai couple's devotion to each other during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has won over the hearts of many netizens.

Zhang Jikang, 82, and his wife, Sun Yanqiu, 83, tested positive for the virus in mid-April and were taken to Anting Hospital where they stayed for two weeks for treatment.

During that time, the husband and wife, who were living on separate floors, wrote letters to encourage each other every day, as they had one mobile phone between them.

"Qiu, we have not seen each other since we parted on April 16. It feels as if we have been separated for as long as three autumns. How are you? I hope we will recover and return home together soon," Zhang wrote in one letter.

Chen Meihua, the head nurse of the ninth sector of the hospital, says Zhang was especially concerned as his wife suffers from diabetes and needs to undergo blood-glucose tests daily, in addition to adhering to strict dietary requirements.

"Have you taken your diabetes medicine? The doctor here will prescribe it properly for you. The elderly in my ward is also a diabetes patient. The doctor prescribed insulin for her," wrote Zhang in another letter.

According to Zhang, this is the longest time that he has been separated from his wife since they were married 47 years ago.