Beijing, Feb 18 (IANS): Liu Zhiming, director of Wuchang hospital in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, died of the disease on Tuesday, according to a statement released by local government authorities.

Earlier this month, Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old doctor in Wuhan who was sanctioned for attempting to bring the coronavirus to light, had died, Daily Mail reported.

Zhiming, a neurosurgeon, is the first hospital head to die of coronavirus infection. His death could renew criticism that the Chinese government has not done enough to protect frontline medical workers, many of whom are overworked and overstretched.

On Tuesday, the state media reported that doctors and nurses who die while trying to contain the outbreak will officially be designated as "martyrs".

Chinese health authority said it had received reports of 1,886 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 98 deaths as of Monday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

Among the new deaths, 93 were in Hubei province, three in Henan, and one each in Hebei and Hunan, according to the National Health Commission, the Xinhua news agency reported.