Photo: Screenshot of video by People's Daily Online

Chinese netizens slammed patients under isolation after they launched a hunger strike and complained about the food at a designated hospital in Mudanjiang, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Sunday. 

A video clip by People's Daily Online shows patients engaged in a hunger strike at Ankang Hospital, a designated hospital to treat patients infected with COVID-19. The isolated patients throw their meal-unified box lunches, which cost roughly 10 yuan ($1.41) into the hallway outside of their rooms. 

Media reported that the hunger strikers were worried that the poor quality of the food would make them suffer malnutrition, but Chinese netizens felt that not eating anything at all would make things worse and jeopardize the patients' immune systems.  

"We've had enough of the food here… (Hospital) must provide us food. Whatever we want! If I want to have dumplings, (hospital) must provide us with dumplings!" a female patient shouts in the video. 

Many netizens have expressed their anger toward the hunger strikers, not only because of their "capricious and unreasonable" actions but also for wasting food.  

"Why can't they understand the difficulties of our country? They will eat again when they are starving," said a netizen on Weibo. 

"So please don't eat then, I think the herd immunity and self-paid treatment are suitable for those hunger strikers," read another comment. 

Local television news broadcaster Gong Xue in Linhai county said that Mudanjiang is a small city, and the people here tried their best to serve the infected patients.  

"You are complaining the food is not good enough, but don't forget our medical workers are too busy to eat. We don't ask you to be grateful, but please be more understanding," Gong said. 

Heilongjiang Province reported five new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, two in Harbin and three in Mudanjiang, while the province overall had reported zero imported cases. The virus-hit border city Suifenhe falls under the administration of Mudanjiang.