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Chinese military sends in fresh medical crews to coronavirus-hit Wuhan
- Deployment follows orders from President Xi Jinping, source says
- Mission could be a good test of the PLA’s ability to handle unconventional warfare, analyst says
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The Chinese military is sending a fourth detachment of medical personnel to the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in central China, adding 2,600 specialists to take the total to 6,600, according to state media.
In all, 1,400 fresh medical workers arrived in Wuhan on Thursday morning, along with 11 military transport aircraft loaded with medical supplies, The PLA Daily reported.
The mobilisation of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel is several times bigger than the 1,200 medical troops the PLA sent to deal with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003.
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Military observers said even more medical crews would be sent to help deal with a virus that has so far infected more than 60,000 people and killed over 1,300.
The decision to send fresh medical staff came after Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s most powerful political body, on the crisis on Wednesday night, according to a military insider.
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