Chinese authorities on Thursday sacked the health chief of a city near the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak whose appearance on state television being unable to answer basic questions sparked widespread public anger.
Tang Zhihong, who ran the health department in Huanggang city, which has reported almost 500 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, appeared on state television earlier on Thursday.
But on being questioned by a central government inspection team and a reporter on issues like how many people a certain hospital under her remit could handle, she could not immediately answer.
"I don't know, I'm unclear," Zhihong said when being asked how many sick people there were. "I only know how many beds there are. Don't ask me how many people are being treated."
A few hours later, in a terse and brief statement, the city's health department said Tang had been removed. It gave no other details.