Another hospital chief at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak has reportedly been hospitalised after contracting the disease.
Dr Wang Ping, the head of Wuhan No. 8 Hospital, was being treated at the city’s Jinyintan Hospital, state media said today.
Just yesterday, the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital died of the disease following ‘all-out rescue efforts’.
Coronavirus has killed seven health workers and infected more than 1,700 medical staff in China.
Dr Wang Ping (pictured), the head of Wuhan No. 8 Hospital, has been struck down with the virus, state media reported . The doctor was said to be treated at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital
Dr Wang’s illness was reported by Beijing News, citing sources inside Wuhan No. 8 Hospital
Dr Wang’s illness was first reported by Beijing News, citing sources inside Wuhan No. 8 Hospital. The article was also used by state media China News.
A message circulating on Chinese social media earlier today claimed that doctors were in desperate need of blood plasma in order to save Dr Wang’s life.
Liu Zhiming (pictured), the director of Wuchang Hospital, died of the coronavirus yesterday
Chinese authorities have urged newly recovered coronavirus patients to donate their blood because their plasma is thought to have antibodies to the lethal virus.
A spokesperson at the No. 8 Hospital confirmed that Dr Wang had contracted the novel coronavirus and was being treated at Jinyintan Hospital.
The spokesperson added Jinyintan had found suitable blood plasma.
The hospital did not comment on Dr Wang’s condition.
The news comes after Dr Liu Zhiming, the 51-year-old leader of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died yesterday morning after ‘all-out rescue efforts failed’, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Dr Liu was hailed for his ‘important contributions in the work of fighting and controlling novel coronavirus’.
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,012 people and infected more than 75,000 globally
Li Wenliang, 34, succumbed to the deadly contagion in the early hours of February 7 local time, despite attempts to resuscitate him. The ophthalmologist caught the public’s attention after he was reprimanded by police and accused of spreading ‘fake news’ for warning on social media of ‘SARS at a Wuhan seafood market’. His hospital initially denied reports of his death
Mourners pay their respect to deceased Chinese doctor Li Wenliang during a vigil ceremony in Hong Kong on February 7. The public have accused Dr Li’s hospital of trying to cover up truth
China has been accused of trying to cover up the death of medical workers amid the health crisis.
Reports of his death were initially retracted on Monday night by officials who claimed that doctors were still trying to revive him.
The same scenario happened to another medic, whistle-blower Dr Li Wenliang, who succumbed to the virus two weeks ago.
A nurse preparing medicines for patients at Jinyintan Hospital designated for new coronavirus infected patients in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province where the outbreak began
A new government notice bans citizens across the province from leaving their homes unless there are ‘special circumstances’. Officials have also ordered citizens in Wuhan to stay at least 1.5 metres (five feet) away from each other on the street if they must leave their buildings
Neither Wuhan No. 8 Hospital or Jinyintan Hospital has released an official statement over Dr Wang’s condition.
Hubei, situated in central China, accounts for more than 80 per cent of the confirmed cases and 95 per cent of the deaths globally.
Overnight, the regional health officials reported 1,693 new cases out of a nationwide total of 1,749 and 132 of the 136 new deaths across China.
The novel coronavirus epidemic has killed over 2,000 people in China and infected more than 75,000, and has spread to at least two dozen countries around the world.