China reports 15 new COVID-19 cases, Wuhan begins mass testing

Beijing/Wuhan, May 14

China has reported 15 new COVID-19 circumstances, together with 12 asymptomatic infections, the well being authorities stated on Thursday, because the mass testing for the lethal coronavirus started for the 11 million folks within the metropolis of Wuhan, amid apprehensions a few second wave of the pandemic.

According to China’s National Health Commission (NHC), the three new circumstances are domestically transmitted, with two reported in Liaoning province and one in Jilin province.

As of Wednesday, the general confirmed circumstances on the mainland had reached 82,929, together with 101 sufferers who have been nonetheless being handled. Overall, the dying toll in China stood at 4,633, the NHC stated.

Following a spike in circumstances, officers in Jilin metropolis of the northeast China’s Jilin province have adopted a variety of extra stringent measures to curb the unfold of COVID-19.

Gai Dongping, vice-mayor of Jilin, informed reporters on Wednesday that town had reported a complete of 21 neighborhood circumstances, with two asymptomatic sufferers, because the first cluster an infection was reported per week in the past.

“The current outbreak is very serious and complex and poses a major risk of further spread. In order to prevent and stem the spread of the epidemic, the Jilin epidemic prevention and control group has decided to implement control measures in the urban area of Jilin,” she was quoted as saying by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

The NHC stated that 712 folks with asymptomatic infections have been beneath medical commentary. This included 574 in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan.

The native well being fee in Wuhan stated no new confirmed case of coronavirus was reported on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Wuhan started a large marketing campaign on Wednesday to test all of its over 11 million folks.

The exams to be accomplished by May 20 started as a high well being official warned that China’s threat of COVID-19 cluster infections attributable to the sporadic circumstances can’t be ignored, though the epidemic is in a usually secure state within the nation for the time being.

The newly reported six confirmed domestically transmitted circumstances within the Chinese mainland on Tuesday have been all associated to earlier cluster infections, Song Shuli, a spokesperson for the NHC informed the media right here in Beijing on Wednesday.

“We need to stay alert and put in place measures for regular epidemic response to resolutely prevent new outbreaks,” state-run Xinhua information company quoted her as saying.

The well-publicised testing in Wuhan got here as a shock because it was being finished greater than a month after the 76-day lockdown was lifted from town on April 8. China has additionally opened up in a giant manner everywhere in the nation.

Beijing has additionally introduced plans to carry the annual parliament session of the National People’s Congress on May 22.

As of Wednesday, the dying toll in Hubei, which was one of many first epicentres, stood at 4,512, together with 3,869 in Wuhan.

Hubei has reported 68,134 confirmed COVID-19 circumstances in whole, together with 50,339 in Wuhan.

Globally, the dying toll from the coronavirus has gone as much as 297,197 and over 4.Three million folks have been contaminated by COVID-19, based on Johns Hopkins University knowledge. PTI