China deploys military medical staff to virus epicentre

HEALTH

China has deployed 450 military medical staff, some with experience combating SARS or Ebola, to a central city stricken by a virus that has killed dozens of people, state media said Saturday.

The medics, who arrived in Wuhan on military aircraft late Friday, will be dispatched to hospitals with large numbers of infected patients, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The move marks a dramatic escalation in the central government's involvement to contain the virus, which has killed 41 people and infected 1,287 others across the country.

It also follows reports of bed shortages in hospitals designated to deal with the outbreak in Wuhan, which has borne the brunt of the health emergency.

The government has even started construction on a special hospital in Wuhan to deal with the virus, with plans to finish it within a staggering 10 days.

Xinhua said the military team is composed of experts in respiratory health, infectious diseases, hospital infection control and intensive care.

In a sign Wuhan authorities are feeling the pressure, Hubei governor Jiang Chaoliang said in a meeting Friday that Wuhan must "make every effort" to increase isolation places and beds.

Hospitals must also make sure patients are "admitted in time," according to a statement on the government's website.

Pharmacy workers wearing protective clothes and masks serve customers in Wuhan on Saturday

The same day, passengers arrive at Sydney airport wearing masks after landing

In Beijing, people wearing protective facemasks to help stop the spread of the deadly virus stand in front of the closed gate of the Lama Temple

Like millions other people, this taxi driver in Wuhan is playing it safe

People wearing protective masks travel for the Lunar New Year holidays at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing on Friday