Coronavirus latest: Head doctor at Wuhan hospital dies of Covid-19

The head of a leading hospital in Wuhan has died of coronavirus, China's state television announced.

Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died at 10:30am on Tuesday after contracting Covid-19, it said.

The hospital was designated to solely treat virus-infected patients.

Mr Liu is believed to be at least the seventh health worker to die of Covid-19 among the more than 1,700 doctors and nurses who have become ill.

Tens of thousands of medical workers have been fighting to contain the spread of the virus, believed to have first surfaced in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.

In announcing Mr Liu's death, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said he had taken part in the battle against the virus from the start and had made "important contributions in the work of fighting and controlling" the virus.

During that process, "unfortunately he became infected and passed away at 10.54 Tuesday morning at the age of 51 after all-out efforts to save him failed", the commission said.

His death comes as authorities are cautiously cheering a reduction in the number of new daily cases and deaths, along with the results of a study showing that most people who contracted the virus experienced only mild symptoms.

World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was too early to know if the reported decline would continue, however, he added. "Every scenario is still on the table."

Beijing was accused of covering up the full extent of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003.

In the current coronavirus outbreak, Beijing has called for transparency.

Earlier this month, millions in China mourned the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor who was previously reprimanded for issuing an early warning about the coronavirus.

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