China says all hospitalized coronavirus patients in Wuhan have been discharged

NEWS 27.04.202009:16
REUTERS/Aly Song

All hospitalized coronavirus patients in Wuhan, the original epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, have been discharged from hospitals, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission said on Sunday.

“With joint effort of medical professionals from Wuhan and from around the country, by April 26, all hospitalized Covid-19 patients in Wuhan have been cleared,” Mi said.

Wuhan was the first city in the world to go into lockdown due to the virus. It has been slowly returning to something that might be described as normal, after months of fear and anxiety.

But the scars of the viral outbreak, which for 76 days shut down the Chinese city and much of the surrounding Hubei province, lie just beneath the surface. Many citizens are worried about a second outbreak and businesses are struggling to get back on their feet.

The first known cases of the virus were detected in Wuhan in mid-December. In the weeks that followed, case numbers spiked and from January 23 until April 8, residents were unable to leave the city as the Chinese government attempted to contain the outbreak.

But despite the attempts to halt the spread of the virus, it has now infected nearly 3 million people worldwide.