Hubei Province Party Secretary Relieved of Duty - Report

The death toll from the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China has exceeded 1,300 people, with the number of confirmed cases in the nation topping 48,200.

Amid the ongoing epidemic, Chinese authorities have reportedly relieved Hubei party secretary Jiang Chaoliang of his duties and appointed incumbent Shanghai mayor Ying Yong as the new secretary of the Communist Party of China, local media said Thursday.

Hubei province is ground zero of new coronavirus that continues to kill dozens on almost a daily basis. Earlier in the day, Hubei officials asserted that they had discovered a new way to diagnose the deadly strain.

The new coronavirus was first detected at a seafood market in China’s Wuhan in late December 2019, and has since spread to over 25 countries. In late January, the World Health Organization declared a Global Health Emergency of International Concern, in light of the rapidly spreading epidemic.

Global authorities have suspended air traffic to and from China, increased border and airport controls and put travelers with even slight traces of flu symptoms into isolated wards under strict quarantine.