BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Huanggang city, one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak, is still facing a severe virus situation and a lack of medical supplies, its Communist Party boss said on Tuesday.

Huanggang is located in the central province of Hubei near to Wuhan, believed to be the epicentre of the outbreak. Huanggang has recorded the second highest number of deaths from the virus after Wuhan.

Speaking at a news conference carried live on state television, Liu Xuerong said they also face a serious challenge in preventing the spread of the virus in rural areas.

“At present, the epidemic situation in our city is still very severe,” Liu said. “We will seize the key window period, strengthen our proactiveness in work, and resolutely win the fight against the epidemic.”

Huanggang has recorded 2,332 confirmed cases and 52 deaths as of midnight on Feb 10, he added.