62-year-old Dr Liang Wudong died yesterday morning in Wuhan. Authorities have confirmed that the doctor died due to the coronavirus infection, making him the first health worker to die due to the virus.
Hours before Dr Wudong passed, a 51-year-old doctor suffered a heart attack and died. However, it is unclear that the cause of the heart attack was the virus.
The outbreak in China has prompted the government to send 1,200 health workers to the city of Wuhan, where the virus initially originated. Dr Wudong was part of this taskforce.
The Chinese government has announced that their priority right now is to establish a 1000-bed hospital to treat coronavirus cases. The vast number of cases being reported has also cast a shadow over the biggest holiday of the year in China – the Lunar New Year.
12 cities including Wuhan are currently on lockdown with public transportation temporarily halted. The number of coronavirus cases reported has risen to 1,300 and Hubei province in Wuhan alone has reported 41 deaths.
According to the Guardian, Dr Wudong worked at the Hubei Xinhua Hospital. Even though he was retired, he applied to help patients during the outbreak.
Many continue to voice their concerns after the death was announced by the media. They point out that effective safety measures are not available to health workers. Beijing news reports that 15 health workers have been affected by the virus so far.
Coronavirus has spread to 18 cities in China, and more than 56 million residents are asked to seek permission from authorities before leaving the city for any reason.
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