Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited a hospital treating coronavirus patients, his first such visit since the start of the deadly outbreak.
His visit came as the death toll from the disease climbed to more than 1,000 people.
The Chinese leader has largely kept out of the spotlight during the outbreak, with Premier Li Keqiang travelling to the virus-hit city of Wuhan to take the lead in government efforts to combat the disease.
Mr Xi inspected community workers in Beijing, visited a local hospital that offers treatment to coronavirus patients and spoke via video conference with frontline medical staff in Wuhan.
"We must have confidence that we will eventually win this battle against the epidemic," Mr Xi told medical staff during the visit to Beijing's Ditan hospital.
Wearing a surgical mask, Mr Xi had his temperature checked by a community worker and waved to residents in their apartments, according to footage from state broadcaster CCTV.
The virus has forced Beijing to extend holidays in manufacturing centres and impose severe population controls in major cities, exacerbating a slowdown in the world's second largest economy.
State-owned television reported Mr Xi as saying that China would strive to meet its economic and social targets for the year and make economic adjustments to minimise the impact of the virus.
He said the Government would take more decisive measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province.
Dead doctor's mother says she wasn't allowed to see his body
Mr Xi's visit came after the mother of a doctor who died after attempting to warn people about the virus's danger was seen pleading for information about her son's death.
Li Wenlian, 34, was one of eight whistleblowers who tried to warn other medical workers of the outbreak.
He was accused of spreading fake information by local police, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper.
His death triggered a huge response on Chinese social media and also sparked anger in the Australian Chinese community.
In a video posted to a Chinese video streaming site, Dr Li's mother, whose name was not shared, said her son was asked to go into the Wuhan public security bureau in the middle of the night to sign a warning letter.
"It is not acceptable if we are not given an explanation," she said, adding that she was not allowed to see him at the hospital or funeral parlour after his death.
"How can we explain to our grandchildren where their father is when they ask for him?"
Reuters/ABC
