Aid medical workers begin to leave as Hubei brings virus under control

Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/17 14:01:09

A recovered patient (R) waves to medical staff of the temporary hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 26, 2020.(Xinhua/Shen Bohan)



The first batch of 3,787 doctors and nurses from around China, who aided Hubei Province in its battle against the coronavirus, started their journey of returning home on Tuesday morning as the outbreak has been effectively tamed in the province.

According to reports, 49 groups that supported the 14 makeshift hospitals and seven designated hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei's capital, embarked on their journey home in government-chartered vehicles.  

A video clip posted by China Central Television shows 43 medical staff from Shaanxi Province who came in January leaving the battlefield as onlookers salute them from behind lined-up police guards along the road. 

China's National Health Commission (NHC) recently disclosed that more than 42,000 medics were drafted from other provinces and cities to aid Hubei. The first batch arrived on January 24, the eve of the Chinese New Year. 

There were about 28,000 female medical workers who aided Hubei, accounting for two-thirds of all staff, the NHC revealed.

Wuhan closed the last makeshift hospital on March 10, after the final batch of 49 patients walked out of the Wuchang temporary hospital. As the virus peaked, there are 8,701 patients in the province, with 8,304 in Wuhan. 

Wuhan is now the only high-risk city in Hubei. Across the province, only four cities or counties are currently defined as medium-risk, and 71 cities and counties are low-risk, which means the areas have had no confirmed COVID-19 cases for 14 consecutive days.

Jingzhou, a city in Hubei, is the latest to take away checkpoints and resume work. Temperature checks and registration will still be required.

Global Times



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