Chinese hospital director Wuhan, epicenter of coronavirus outbreak, dies

Last updated on May 6th, 2021 at 08:11 am

The head of a leading hospital in central China’s Wuhan area, the epicenter of an outbreak of coronavirus, died of the disease on Tuesday, state television reported, becoming the second prominent Chinese doctor to succumb to the pathogen.

Advertisement Liu Zhiming, the Wuhan Wuchang Hospital manager, died at 10:30 a.m., it said.

Earlier this month, the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor who had previously been reprimanded for giving an early warning about the coronavirus, mourned millions in China.

Tens of thousands of medical workers have been struggling to contain coronavirus spread, suspected to have first appeared in a seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province.

As in the case of Li’s death, on Monday night there was uncertainty on the Chinese internet about Liu’s condition.

The Hubei Health Commission’s Communist Party propaganda department wrote in a social media post Monday night that Liu had died.

But in a subsequent post it said Liu was alive.

“The hospital is still trying its best to rescue him according to Liu’s relative,” the commission said in the second post, adding that the previous misinformation came from a good friend of Liu who was unaware of the latest situation.

It hasn’t posted any message since Tuesday morning State TV announced the death of Liu.

Beijing has been accused of covering up the full extent of the 2003 outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Beijing has been calling for transparency in the current coronavirus outbreak.

On Friday, a senior Chinese health official said 1,716 health workers were infected with coronavirus, and six of them died. To see more about latest news about philippines.