Hospitals rise to challenge of respiratory illnesses

Fan, the head nurse at China-Japan Friendship Hospital's pediatric clinic, said it is operating at full capacity in handling about 450 patient visits each day.

"There was a peak in visits in March and again in May, but since August or September, it feels as though visits have constantly remained at a high level," she said.

On Monday afternoon, while Fan was in the hospital lobby, at least 10 parents approached her within five minutes to ask a wide range of questions, ranging from where to make payments to how to make an appointment when online slots are used up.

"As parents are so anxious, they sometimes ask questions when the answers to them are on the slips of paper they are holding," she said.

"But I sympathize with them. I would also be worried if my child became ill. All we can do is try our best to help as many kids as possible."