Coronavirus: China reports no new local infections for first time since outbreak

China said today there had been no cases of domestic coronavirus infections in the country the previous day, for the first time since the outbreak began.

All 34 infections diagnosed on Wednesday were in people arriving into China from abroad, the National Health Commission said. It was a significant milestone for the country, where the virus was first reported in mid-November.

This includes the virus epicentre of Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province.

Vice President of Region Lombardy Fabrizio Sala, right, salutes with his forearm medics and paramedics from China. Photo / AP

Eight new deaths were reported, all in Wuhan.

Wuhan at the peak reported thousands of new cases of coronavirus infection daily, overwhelming its health care system.

Of those new cases of infection, 21 were in Beijing, nine in the southern manufacturing powerhouse of Guangdong, two in Shanghai and one each in coastal Zhejiang and Heilongjing in the far northeast.

China has only just begun loosening draconian travel restrictions within the country, but has stepped-up 14-day quarantine regulations on those arriving in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere from overseas, amid expectations of a new influx of students and others returning home.

China has now recorded a total of 80,928 confirmed virus cases with 3,245 deaths. Another 70,420 people have been released from hospital and 7,263 remain in treatment.

- Washington Post/AP

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