Chinese City Wuhan, Original Epicenter Of COVID-19
Wuhan, China is the epicenter of the Covid-19 virus which is sweeping the world. Wuhan is the capitol of Central China’s Hubei Province. With a population of 11 million, it is still only the 9th largest city in China.
Wuhan is the political, economic, financial, commercial, cultural, and educational center of central China. It is sometimes called the “Chicago of China”, as well as the “Golden Waterway” due to its proximity to the Yangtze River.
It has a historical record of flooding problems, most recently in 2016 when the city received 22 inches of rain in the first week of July. Alleviating the flooding problem for Wuhan is a major factor in the building of the celebrated Three Gorges Dam project. This dam on the Yangtze River is the world’s largest power plant since its completion in 2012.
Wuhan is also the location of China’s only level 4 Microbiology Lab, housed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Some have claimed that the virus may have escaped from this laboratory, which Chinese authorities deny.
On a positive note, there are indications the virus has run its course in the Hubei Province which could bode well for the rest of the world. While travel out of Wuhan is still not allowed, there have been no new cases in 3 days, and Chinese officials are beginning to close down the viral check stations in Wuhan.
