China: The resignation of Wuhan city is blamed for its slow response to the pneumonia epidemic and many believe it should resign.

"Like many people, I used to believe that the decision to temporarily replace Wuhan leaders with less experienced people in this situation would not be good for fighting virus spread," Hubei correspondent Zhang Ouya Daily, a speech agency in Hubei Province, China, wrote on Weibo on January 24.

"However, the current worsening and serious situation shows that those in power have no leadership ability. For Wuhan, please change the leadership immediately," Zhang added. refers to the spread of acute pneumonia caused by a new strain of the corona family (nCoV).

This post was later removed. A few hours later, Hubei Daily issued a statement apologizing to the Wuhan authorities and leaders for "negative public statements", and confirmed that they had asked Zhang to delete the post.

The Hubei Daily announcement also urged local reporters to "spread the spirit of positive", adding that Zhang's comments do not represent the whole newspaper, but "still create negative effects".

In a public letter to the National Health Commission of China, a self-confessed doctor from a leading hospital in Wuhan accused the severe outbreak of pneumonia was caused by the slow response of officials. local health. The doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the number of patients had been increasing since January 12, but local health authorities did not report new cases.

"These patients are not properly isolated or under medical treatment and they can move around the city. Later, when we warn patients and the public to wear masks and avoid crowded places , they think we're exaggerating. Even some health workers don't believe and aren't ready to take basic precautions, "the letter said.

In an effort to prevent the spread of pneumonia, the Wuhan government issued an order "internal and external," and imported from January 23. The same measure was quickly taken in many other locations in Hubei Province. Public transport stops working, citizens are advised to avoid visiting friends and relatives during the Lunar New Year.

However, these supposedly extreme measures make people angry and worried. Many flock to local hospitals for checkups, but are not supported due to lack of resources, from hospital beds to testing equipment and medical staff.

A nurse from the hospital in Huangshi city, about 100 km from Wuhan, said the shortage of medical equipment in the small cities of Hubei could be more serious. "We don't even have enough masks. Doctors and nurses are on duty 24 hours," the anonymous nurse said.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times newspaper of the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece, also said that Beijing should be better prepared for the pneumonia epidemic and take precautionary measures sooner.

"We have experience dealing with SARS and pneumonia this time. It should not be happening in China, where medical standards and social organization are high. I think that Wuhan City and the national health agencies should be responsible, "he said.

The number of deaths from pneumonia in China has increased to 54, with 1,610 cases. Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday warned the country is facing a "serious situation" as the nCoV virus is spreading rapidly.

Pandemic pneumonia first appeared in Wuhan City, the capital of Hubei Province, but later spread to at least 30 regions and provinces in China. Cases have also occurred in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Singapore, Nepal, France and Vietnam.