Daily Deaths Reach 100 and Cumulative Total Surpasses 1,000... Xi Jinping's Urgent Actions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus infection in China has surpassed 100 per day and a cumulative total of 1,000. As the situation worsened, Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared for the first time at a treatment site for novel coronavirus patients wearing a mask.

On the 11th, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced that as of midnight, 2,478 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported across China. 108 people died in one day. This is the first time the daily death toll in China has exceeded 100. Most of the deaths, 103, occurred in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, with one additional death each reported in Beijing, Tianjin, Heilongjiang Province, Anhui Province, and Henan Province.

The total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases across China has reached 42,638. Among them, 3,996 have recovered and been discharged, but 1,016 have died. The cumulative death toll has surpassed 1,000 for the first time.

Currently, 37,626 people diagnosed with the virus are receiving treatment in hospitals. Among them, 7,333 are classified as severe cases, so the death toll is expected to continue rising rapidly. Additionally, 21,675 people are classified as suspected cases, making an increase in confirmed cases inevitable. Outside mainland China, 70 confirmed cases have been reported in Chinese territories: 42 in Hong Kong (including 1 death), 10 in Macau (including 1 discharged), and 18 in Taiwan (including 1 discharged).

China’s seriousness about this crisis can be seen in the fact that President Xi Jinping appeared on the front pages of Chinese media wearing a mask. On this day, major state-run media such as Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and the homepage of the National Health Commission featured photos of President Xi wearing a mask. Until now, the only photo of a top Chinese leader visiting a novel coronavirus site was Premier Li Keqiang wearing a mask during his visit to Wuhan, Hubei Province. President Xi had been directing the situation through meetings without on-site visits, and his masked appearance had not been made public until now.

Visiting Beijing Ditan Hospital, where novel coronavirus patients are hospitalized and treated, President Xi acknowledged that "the current situation of the novel coronavirus is very serious," and emphasized, "All parties and governments must resolutely implement the central government's various decisions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and must win the people's war, the overall war, and the defensive war against the virus."

The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) noted that the timing of President Xi, whose image as the "top leader" and "absolute power" is deeply ingrained, appearing at the novel coronavirus site wearing a mask at the public’s eye level came amid public unrest following the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, who was punished by the government for warning about the virus’s spread. In China, the disappearance of a citizen journalist who exposed the situation in Wuhan has compounded the situation, and criticism of the government’s response to the novel coronavirus is spreading on social media.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.