China Deploys 2,600 Military Medics To Wuhan To Help Fight Coronavirus

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China has deployed 2,600 military medics to help tackle the coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases worldwide surpasses 60,000

According to the Chinese Defense Ministry the first installment of 1,400 military medical personnel arrived in the city of Wuhan on Thursday.

The news comes alongside reports that the Wuhan & Hubei party chiefs have been sacked.

RT reports: The medics represent several branches of the Chinese armed forces, including the Navy, Air Force, armed police, logistic and strategic support forces, and even the Rocket Force.
The current reinforcements are not the first the Chinese military has sent to the region. Extra medical staffers have been relocated to the city to man two makeshift hospitals that were built in mere days earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Chinese state media reported that Jiang Chaoliang, the head of the Communist Party in Hubei province, and Ma Guoqiang, the party chief in the provincial capital, Wuhan, were both removed from their posts. Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong will replace the provincial head, while Wang Zhonglin, the party chief in Jinan, will take on the mantle in Wuhan.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the ousters. Chinese state media tabloid Global Times reported that an “inspection” was carried out by the central government in Hubei and “a number of local officials have been questioned and punished for failing to fulfill their duties in the prevention and control work.”