Amidst a shortage of anti-coronavirus drugs in China after the sudden lifting of health restrictions, desperate families are making a "hard choice" fraught with fraud and exploitation.
After 3 years of applying some of the strictest restrictions in the world, China suddenly lifted most of its health measures related to the Corona virus last month, and this led to a significant increase in infections.
Hospitals were filled with elderly patients, while the number of corpses exceeded the capacity of the incinerators.
Pharmacies, for their part, are facing a shortage of cold and fever medicines, and many Chinese avoid buying products made in their country after the pharmaceutical sector was exposed to several scandals that tarnished its reputation.
The situation is driving some to turn to the black market and to online traders.
Despite the risks, Q turned to the Internet to obtain Paxlovid, the anti-coronavirus drug from the American giant Pfizer.
The young woman placed an order on the website of a pharmaceutical company in Hong Kong, which later turned out to have been hacked, and paid 12,000 yuan (1,644 euros) for 6 boxes, which is more than what many Chinese receive as a monthly salary, but the young woman never received Paxlovid.
Out of stock
It is difficult for most Chinese to obtain Paxlovid, despite the authorities' assertion that some neighborhood hospitals currently possess it, while several institutions in Beijing and Shanghai said that they do not know when the drugs will be delivered.
Online drugstores have run out of stock, making room for scammers and unreliable dealers.
A merchant sells one box of Paxlovid for 18,000 yuan (2,466 euros), about 9 times more than the official price.
On Monday, China's Ministry of Public Security launched a campaign targeting the "production and sale of counterfeit medicines".
Despite the risks, the black market remains a last resort for people like Xiao, 25, after her elderly grandfather fell ill in late December.
The girl - whose grandfather died - said she was "shocked" when an online seller asked her for about 2,500 euros to buy Paxlovid, an amount that exceeds her purchasing power.
Generic drugs
As a result, some Chinese people buy illegally imported generic drugs at better prices.
Online, someone who says he is a pharmacist based in India sells his Chinese clients Paxista instead of Paxlovid, at 1,500 yuan (205 euros) per pack.
Last week, China granted emergency authorization with conditions for an antiviral drug from the Merck laboratory for adult patients with mild or moderate symptoms of the Corona virus.
One trader in China said he had "no moral problem" with raising the price of medicines that could save lives.