China's daily death toll from virus tops 100 for first time

China's daily death toll from a new virus topped 100 for the first time and pushed the total past 1,000 dead, authorities said on Feb. 11 after leader Xi Jinping visited a health center to rally public morale amid little sign the contagion is abating.

Though more offices and stores in China were reopening after the extended Lunar New Year break, many people appear to be staying home. Public health authorities are closely monitoring whether workers' returning to cities and businesses resuming worsens the spread of the virus.

In a bid to boost morale, Xi was featured on state broadcaster CCTV's main news report pm Feb. 11 night visiting a community health center in Beijing and expressing confidence in the "war against the disease.''

The country's president and leader of the ruling Communist Party was shown wearing a surgical mask and having his temperature taken before expressing his thanks to health workers on behalf of the party and government. "We will most definitely win this people's war," Xi said.

Xi's appearance comes amid questioning of the government's handling of the crisis, particularly the failure of local officials in the worst-hit city of Wuhan to clarify the extent of the crisis. Public anger has been inflamed over the death of a young doctor from the virus who had earlier been threatened along with seven others by police for warning online of the potential for a major outbreak as early as December.

Xi paid his respects to health workers, but much of his message was focused on calling for citizens to follow the party's dictates and aimed at minimizing the potentially massive economic impact of the outbreak.

"The fundamentals of China's long-term economic development remain unchanged and the impact of the...

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