China: Red Cross officials punished for donation errors in Coronavirus-hit Hubei province

Beijing has punished three Chinese officials part of the Red Cross Society in the coronavirus-hit Hubei province for improperly dealing with donations for the prevention and control of the disease. According to Chinese state media, some officials at the local branch of the Red Cross Society did not perform their duties properly and their mishandling of the donations and its distribution led to the punishment. 

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Recently it was reported that the Chinese arm of the Red Cross Society did not distribute several important donations of medical supplies to hospitals in the Wuhan city, the epicentre of the deadly virus. Reports have suggested that over 2 million masks had been donated to Hubei's Red Cross but only 200,000 were distributed. 

A doctor from the Wuhan Union Hospital, which is one of the seven medical centres dealing with the Coronavirus asked why medical professionals were not getting supplies even though the country had been mobilised to combat the disease.

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Coronavirus outbreak

The world is battling the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus that has claimed more than 420 lives in China alone. According to international press, confirmed reported cases have reached up to 20,000 as of February 4. The disease is believed to have originated in a market in Hubei's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, where animals were being traded illegally. 

Read: Red Cross Slammed For Not Distributing Medical Supplies To Wuhan Amidst Coronavirus Crisis

Chinese authorities have imposed a strict quarantine in 12 cities across the country, 11 of which are in the Hubei province. China built an emergency hospital in a record time of just 8 days to house patients with confirmed coronavirus cases. Beijing is also building another hospital in the same region with a capacity of an estimated 1,600 beds.

As per the US CDC, confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in 27 other countries that include some developed countries like, Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Singapore, and Italy. 

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(with inputs from agencies)