China reports 51 new cases of coronavirus with 40 asymptomatic infections

Health officials of China reportedly said on May 25 that the country has reported  51 new coronavirus cases which include 40 asymptomatic infections. They added that the majority of infections are from the coronavirus epicentre, Wuhan where more than six million tests have been conducted within the last 10 days. Chinese health authority on May 24 said that it conducted 11,46,156 nucleic acid tests on May 23 in the epicentre Wuhan. The novel coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and then spread to the entire world. According to data provided by the health authorities, more than 14 lakh nucleic acid tests were conducted in Wuhan a day earlier.

READ: Wuhan Conducted Over 11 Lakh Nucleic Acid Tests On May 23: Health Authorities

82,974 confirmed cases

The nucleic acid test is a technique used to detect a virus or bacteria that acts as a pathogen in blood, tissue, or urine. China on May 23 recorded three new cases of the novel coronavirus, said the National Health Commission (NHC) in a statement. According to NHC, China recorded zero new cases a day earlier and the three new cases it registered on Saturday consisted of 1 indigenous case in Jilin province and 2 imported cases, 1 in Shanghai municipality, and 1 in Guangdong province.
China has recorded 82,974 confirmed cases and 4,634 deaths in 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps to date, and in all 78,261 patients had been cured and discharged from hospital, according to the National Health Commission.

READ: Wuhan Officially Bans Consumption Of Wild Animals In Wake Of COVID-19 Pandemic

Ban on consumption of wild animals

Wuhan authorities have announced a ban on the consumption of wild animals and farmers are being offered a government buy-out to facilitate the transition. The local administration of Wuhan, the first epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, reportedly said that wildlife hunting will be banned except for research purpose, population control, and disease monitoring, adding that the city will become a “wildlife sanctuary”. The origin of SARS-CoV-2 is not known but preliminary studies suggested that the bats could be the source since the coronavirus present in bats has a genome that is 96 per cent identical to the novel coronavirus. It is believed that the wildlife market in Wuhan caused the virus to transmit through another host, probably pangolin because the bat coronavirus cannot bind to receptors in human cells, however, there has not been any concrete evidence.

READ: Wuhan Lab Had Three Live Strains Of Bat Coronavirus On-site, None Matched COVID-19

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(Image Credit: AP)