Hundreds of military medics will descend on coronavirus-stricken Wuhan to help tackle the epidemic as the number of confirmed cases worldwide surpasses 60,000, with the death toll leaping over 1,300.

The first installment of 1,400 military medical personnel touched down in the city in central China worst affected by the ongoing viral epidemic on Thursday, the Chinese Defense Ministry reported.

The medics represent several branches of the Chinese armed forces, including the Navy, Air Force, armed police, logistic and strategic support forces, and even the Rocket Force.

The current reinforcements are not the first the Chinese military has sent to the region. Extra medical staffers have been relocated to the city to man two makeshift hospitals that were built in mere days earlier this month.

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Meanwhile, Chinese state media reported that Jiang Chaoliang, the head of the Communist Party in Hubei province, and Ma Guoqiang, the party chief in the provincial capital, Wuhan, were both removed from their posts. Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong will replace the provincial head, while Wang Zhonglin, the party chief in Jinan, will take on the mantle in Wuhan.

Two newly appointed top officials of #coronavirus epicenter Hubei and #Wuhan, with years of legal background, are considered 'firefighters' who are decisive in dealing with public crises. https://t.co/Cy5lipfRyQpic.twitter.com/KhUBmILGVA — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) February 13, 2020

It was not immediately clear what prompted the ousters. Chinese state media tabloid Global Times reported that an “inspection” was carried out by the central government in Hubei and “a number of local officials have been questioned and punished for failing to fulfill their duties in the prevention and control work.”

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