AKIPRESS.COM - China has "removed" several senior officials over their handling of the coronavirus outbreak - as the death toll passed 1,000, BBC reports.

The party secretary for the Hubei Health Commission, and the head of the commission, were among those who lost their jobs.

They are the most senior officials to be demoted so far.

The deputy director of the local Red Cross was also removed for "dereliction of duty" over "handling of donations".

The two Hubei party officials will be replaced by a national figure - the deputy director of China's National Health Commission, Wang Hesheng.

On Monday, some 103 died in Hubei province alone, a daily record, and the national death toll is now 1,016.

But the number of new infections nationally was down almost 20% from the day before, from 3,062 to 2,478.

Hubei's health commission confirmed 2,097 new cases in the province on Monday, down from 2,618 the previous day.