Four months after the coronavirus outbreak was first reported, the Chinese city of Wuhan has been declared free of COVID-19, with China saying the last patients have been discharged from hospital. Wuhan, the capital of central China province of Hubei, has been at the center of global attention since the novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported in the city on December 31. Days that followed saw a massive surge in the number of virus cases, leading to the city's 11 million residents being placed under complete lock-down in order to halt the spread of the deadly contagion.
Wuhan declared free of coronavirus
After twelve patients were discharged from Wuhan hospitals, the city was declared 'corona free', on Sunday, April 26. "With the joint efforts of Wuhan and the national medical aid given to Hubei province, all cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan were cleared as of April 26", Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission said on Sunday, South China Morning Post reported.
The announcement followed the discharge of the last patient who had the disease. That patient, a 77-year old man surnamed 'Ding', was also the last COVID-19 patient in Hubei province. He tested negative for the novel coronavirus twice, also known as SARS-CoV-2.
Coronavirus in Wuhan
Out of 82,827 Covid-19 cases reported in China, over 65,000 were reported in Hubei province. Out of this 50,333 were reported in Wuhan itself. The city accounts for 3,869 out of China's 4,632 deaths.
Almost a month after the disease outbreak was reported in Wuhan, the city was placed under complete lock-down. Restrictions placed on January 23, just at the start of the annual Lunar new year's holiday, saw city's 11 million residents stuck at their homes. Travel to and from Wuhan was barred without official approval. Plying of public transport and private cars was also stopped.
To deal with the huge number of cases, 42,000 medical staff were flown from around the country, to Wuhan. With cases reduced to a huge level, on April 8 restrictions were finally lifted. April 26 was a huge feat for Wuhan, the city that battled for four months to defeat the deadly contagion.
