Beijing, May 15 (AP) :

China has reported 15 new COVID-19 cases, including 11 asymptomatic ones, taking the total number of coronavirus infections in the country to 82,933, health authorities said on Friday.
According to China’s National Health Commission (NHC), four new confirmed coronavirus case, all locally transmitted from Jilin province, were reported on Thursday. Among the new cases, 11 are asymptomatic infections, upping their total to 619, including 492 in its first COVID-19 epicentre Wuhan, it said.

China has already imposed strict control measures in Jilin city to halt the spread of the virus. Wuhan, where six new confirmed cases were reported early this week prompting the government to launch massive drive to test over 11 million of its population, has reported no new cases, according to the local health commission. Fears of a second wave of the pandemic has gripped the city as it has also reported 492 asymptomatic cases.

The NHC said 619 asymptomatic cases, including 35 from overseas, were under medical observation. Asymptomatic cases refer to people who 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.

China has opened up the country fully after the coronavirus cases declined. The businesses and factories of the world’s second-largest economy have fully opened and are functioning. China has also restored intercity travel with COVID-19 negative health certificates. Altogether, 4,633 people have died of the disease in China and the country so far reported 82,933 cases, including 91 patients still undergoing treatment.