Communist Party ousts provincial leader at the center of the outbreak.

China’s ruling Communist Party fired the leader of the province at the center of the new coronavirus outbreak on Thursday amid widespread public anger over the handling of the epidemic.

Jiang Chaoliang, the party secretary of Hubei Province, is the highest-ranking official to lose his job over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 1,100 people in recent weeks.

Mr. Jiang will be replaced by Ying Yong, the mayor of Shanghai. The selection of Mr. Ying may underline the continued political control of Xi Jinping, China’s top leader. Before being transferred to Shanghai in a fairly senior role in 2008, Mr. Ying had come up through the political ranks in Zhejiang Province, which is Mr. Xi’s political base as well.