China took action on two fronts to gain control of the spiraling coronavirus outbreak gripping the country: reporting a dramatic increase in cases and ousting top officials who failed to check the disease's expansion.
First, health authorities revealed Thursday that cases in Hubei province, where the disease first emerged, had surged by 45 percent to almost 50,000 after they included a new group of patients. That raised the global tally to almost 60,000, dashing hopes that the epidemic might be easing. Additional cases announced Friday by China increased the total further to more than 64,000 worldwide.
Authorities also announced the replacement of the two most senior Communist Party officials in Hubei and its hard-hit capital, Wuhan. Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong — a former top judge who once served under President Xi Jinping — was named to replace embattled provincial boss, Jiang Chaoliang.