Chinese Singer Jane Zhang Slammed For Intentionally Contracting Covid Ahead Of Countdown Show Performance

China has again been plagued by a surge of Covid cases since the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Celebs who recently contracted the virus have taken to their social media pages to share their experiences on coping with the symptoms and also impart some tips on how to speed up the recovery process.

However, Chengdu-born singer Jane Zhang, 38, dubbed China’s “Dolphin Princess” for her ability to sing in whistle register, has recently drawn flak for sharing that she intentionally contracted the virus.

Jane wrote in a now-deleted Weibo post that she was worried she would catch the virus at the worst possible time.

“[I was] scared that [catching the virus later] would affect my condition during the countdown show. Since I have the time now to properly recover from this virus, I visited [people] who have tested positive. I [soon] started to have a fever, my throat and nose began hurting, my body started to ache and I felt dizzy… then I fell asleep. After sleeping for one day and one night, all my symptoms disappeared.”

Jane also revealed that she did not take any medication when she fell ill, and speedily recovered after consuming “lots of vitamin C and drinking plenty of water”.

She shared that her “eczema has gotten a lot better”, and her “skin is no longer dry”. On top of that, she also “became skinnier”.

Several cities in China have only recently lifted their lockdown regulations, and many are still trying to bounce back after a tough couple of months.

As such, Jane’s post was received very badly by Chinese netizens.

They criticised her actions, and slammed her for “setting a bad example for others as a public figure”.

Jane has since posted an apology, explaining that “everyone around her had already contracted the virus” and she was “very worried and nervous” as she was the only one who had yet been infected.

“The nature of my job requires me to interact with a large group of people, and I was worried that I would get the virus later on and increase the risk of others getting infected again,” wrote Jane.

She then added that she had seen some research that suggested it was "easier for someone to contract the virus again during a short period of time".

Jane believed that contracting the virus was something that she couldn’t “hide from”, so she decided that it would be best that she got it when she did not need to work, to “ensure the safety of others”.

She emphasised the importance for others to continue “taking precautions” when it comes to dealing with the pandemic, so as to ensure that the country has enough medical supplies to deal with serious cases.

“I sincerely apologise for setting a bad example for others! I hope everyone will be healthy!” wrote Jane. 

Many of Jane’s fans have taken to her post to cheer her on, with one netizen telling her to “say less or not say anything at all” when it comes to “such sensitive topics” as “a simple point of view could be very easily blown out of proportion”.

Photos: Jane Zhang/ Weibo, PBE Media