Wuhan hospital director succumbs to coronavirus

Authorities initially deleted news about Liu Zhiming's death before it was officially announced it.

A hospital director in Wuhan died on Tuesday, state media said, the latest medical worker to fall victim to the coronavirus which has spread across the country.



Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died on Tuesday morning after "all-out rescue efforts failed", state broadcaster CCTV reported.



He is the first known hospital director to have died from the coronavirus.



At least six other medical workers have died from the virus, while 1,716 have been infected, according to official figures.



Liu's death was initially reported by the local media and bloggers shortly after midnight on Tuesday – but the stories were later deleted and replaced with reports that doctors were still attempting to save him.



The hospital director's death has echoes of the death of Wuhan ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, who had been punished by authorities for sounding the alarm about the virus in late December.



Li's death prompted a national outpouring of grief as well as anger against the authorities, who were accused of mishandling the crisis.



People took to social media once more to mourn Liu on Tuesday, with many Weibo users drawing comparisons between Liu's death and Li's, which was also initially reported by state media and then denied hours before being finally confirmed again. (AFP)