Wuhan discharges last virus patients

BANGKOK — Wuhan, the city at the center of China’s coronavirus outbreak, has no more hospitalized patients after the last 12 were discharged, the Hubei province health commission said.

Hubei’s remaining patients were all in Wuhan, the provincial capital where the outbreak took the heaviest toll in China. The 3,869 people confirmed to have died in the city account for more than 80% of the country’s reported deaths.

“It is a historic day,” a newspaper owned by the Wuhan government said.

Hubei has no more suspected cases in its hospitals, though 1,728 people who had close contact with infected people remain under medical observation, the provincial

health commission reported Monday.

Patients remain hospitalized elsewhere in China, including 67 in Shanghai and three in Beijing. Many cities have seen an influx of cases from overseas, prompting the government to sharply curtail international flights and entry.

With the easing of the crisis, a central government team that had overseen the response in Hubei since late January departed Monday,

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said.

Meanwhile, China is fighting against calls for an investigation into its role in the pandemic.

China’s ambassador to Australia reportedly warned the government that its pursuit of a coronavirus inquiry could set off a boycott by Chinese consumers.

China also cited faults with the U.S. response to its outbreak and called for Washington itself to admit error.

“Indeed, lately in the U.S. many people are questioning whether the U.S. government responded in a timely and effective manner and there are concerns,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing on Monday.