Liu Zhiming

The director of a hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak in China, is fighting for his life from the deadly illness, according to a report — which came after state-run media initially said that he’d died.

Dr. Liu Zhiming, head of Wuchang Hospital, fell critically ill with the coronavirus that broke out in Wuhan in December, the Daily Mail reported, citing a local health official.

The People’s Daily initially reported that he had died, but later deleted the news from its English-language Twitter feed.

The backtrack followed the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Chinese whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang earlier this month.