Many viral videos showing a Chinese man enjoying a meal of live mice with a side of sliced tomatoes have circulated social media amid the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, believed by officials to have emerged from eating non-traditional animal protein sources.
The video itself features a Chinese man eating sedate but live mice writhing on his dinner plate encircled by sliced tomatoes.
The man uses his chopsticks to lift the small rodents into a dipping bowl containing a yellow sauce before engorging the mice whole.
He also enjoys a yellow-colored beverage to the side of his dish.
Look at how this Chinese man chews up his plateful of live baby mice… I’m wondering what the next outbreak would be… pic.twitter.com/ENsFBcpxZn
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) January 23, 2020
Officials believe the deadly Coronavirus to have originated from the human consumption of non-domesticated animals.
A market in Wuhan was under investigation after it was revealed it had sold 112 different types of live animals, including koalas, porcupines, foxes, wolves, salamanders, peacocks, crocodiles, and snakes.
The virus has already claimed 26 lives and infected hundreds.
Over 20 million people have been quarantined in 5 cities.
35 million people have been struck by Chinese-government-imposed travel restrictions as confirmed cases of the disease have been recorded in several countries.
Chinese public services are under tremendous stress as hospitals and emergency services struggle to cope amid the panic induced by the outbreak of the deadly disease.
Viral videos on social media have highlighted the stress doctors have faced.
Yesterday, a popular video made the rounds showing a doctor yelling down the phone to state authorities as the hospital’s resources were unable to cover the demand for treatment caused by the disease.
People have been photoed dying on the floor as medical teams are unable to provide adequate timely care.
