A hospital in Tianjin was overwhelmed with patients after the country's COVID-19 restrictions were eased earlier in December.

In the video filmed on December 19, there were many patients waiting in line in the emergency area of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, many of them elderly people lying on stretchers.

Some patients had to receive IV drips in the hospital’s corridors.

It’s reported that since the Chinese government decided to lift some severe COVID-19 restrictions at end of November, an increasing number of people got infected with the disease. Quarantine became no longer compulsory and people could choose to stay home and cure themselves.

Since December 17, all hospitals in Tianjin no longer asked patients for negative nucleic acid proof before entrance which they used to require.

Before the restrictions were lifted, infected patients were required to be quarantined in hotels or makeshift hospitals, or transferred by specified to special hospitals that could accept infected patients if they had other diseases to be treated.

To fight against COVID-19, the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission decided to distribute free "epidemic prevention kits", which contain medicines and supplies to poverty-stricken groups and people over 65 from December 18.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

12月7日，国务院联防联控机制综合组发布了优化落实新冠肺炎疫情防控“新十条”。随后，全国疫情防控都逐步放开。
12月19日下午，在天津医科大学总医院急诊区，出现了病人爆满排队等待的情况，从视频里可以看出，等待治疗的老年人不在少数。
全国各城市感染高峰进度相关数据（根据百度搜索指数、巨量算数数据计算）显示，12月18日，天津市达峰进度预测值为68%，目前感染正处于高峰期。
为了帮助居民抗击新冠，天津市卫健委积极筹措，决定 从12月18日起向困难群体、65岁以上老年人中的重点人群免费发放“健康防疫包”，里面包含解热镇痛、止咳化痰、N95口罩等药物和用品。
并且自12月17日起，天津所有医院不再对病人查验核酸阴性证明或检测抗原，严禁以任何理由推诿或延误救治。