Wan Qian felt perfectly healthy when examined after his mother-in-law was confirmed infected with the new coronavirus. Test results were a surprise: The whole family, including his wife and daughter, had contracted the disease. But hospitals in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, were almost full. “We didn’t stand a chance...to be admitted to hospital and treated under isolation,” said Mr Wan, 45. Rather than despair, the family bed-in at home, dosing prescribed medicine and herbal remedies. Even after a fever and cough set in, Mr Wan still cleaned the bathroom once every three hours and simmered chicken soup daily for his family.