Chinese health authorities found zero new cases of the novel coronavirus in the central city of Wuhan on Tuesday after testing a majority of its 11 million residents. Medical officials issued a statement saying only 300 asymptomatic carriers were found in the ambitious city-wide testing campaign, which was launched on May 14 and reached around 9.9 million people. Worries over a second wave of infections shot up after a cluster of new cases were registered.
Health authorities in China have stated that no new COVID-19 infection cases were found in the campaign, which was conducted until June 1 in Wuhan from where the disease's first reported outbreak had happened. They further added saying asymptomatic carriers were not infectious as there were no traces of the virus on any of the items the 300 people had used, which included masks, phones and toothbrushes or when they had come in contact with door handles and elevator buttons.
The Chinese government has not taken into account asymptomatic carriers as confirmed coronavirus cases as they are known to be infected by the virus, but do not exhibit any of the disease's symptoms. Wuhan, which is the capital of the Hubei province in China, was ordered to go under lockdown on January 23, which eventually came to be lifted after 76 days on April 8. The city took the biggest casualty toll when compared to any other in China and accounts for a majority of the deaths, which is currently standing at 4,634. So far, a total of 83,022 COVID-19 infections have been reported in mainland China with the government spending around 900 million Yuan ($126 million) for the city-wide testing in Wuhan.