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Published 09:35 IST, May 19th 2020

China reports 23 fresh COVID-19 cases including 1 in Wuhan

China has reported 23 new coronavirus cases, including one in Wuhan, the contagion's first epicentre which is now undergoing aggressive testing of its 11.2 million population over fears of a rebound, health officials said on Tuesday.

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China has reported 23 new coronavirus cases, including one in Wuhan, the contagion's first epicentre which is now undergoing aggressive testing of its 11.2 million population over fears of a rebound, health officials said on Tuesday.

The National Health Commission (NHC) reported six fresh coronavirus cases and 17 asymptomatic infections in the country on Monday.

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The six cases include one in Wuhan and two in Jilin province, both locally transmitted.

Hubei province's capital Wuhan, where the virus emerged in December last year, has a total of seven cases, the local health commission said.

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The city also has over 285 asymptomatic cases which prompted the local officials to go for mass testing of local population after the 76-day lockdown was lifted last month. The testing is currently underway.

All the 17 new asymptomatic cases are domestic ones. A total of 389 asymptomatic cases, including 29 from overseas, were still under medical observation, the NHC said.

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Asymptomatic cases pose a problem as the patients are tested COVID-19 positive but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. However, they pose a risk of spreading the disease to others.

The death toll from the coronavirus in the country stands at 4,634.

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As of Monday, the overall confirmed cases in China were 82,960, including 85 who are being treated, while 78,241 people have been discharged after recovery. 

09:35 IST, May 19th 2020