New coronavirus cases in Wuhan in daily decline since Feb 1

The number of new cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia infections has been on the decline on a daily basis in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in Hubei province, since Feb 1, a senior official of the National Health Commission said on Saturday.

Liang Wannian, director of the commission's medical reform department and also head of the expert team for the epidemic response, made the remarks at an online news conference organized by the State Council Information Office in Wuhan.

However, Liang said, other cities in Hubei such as Xiaogan and Huanggang have witnessed a rise in the new cases of infections with some cities at the prefecture level having found transmissions of the virus in communities.

"Generally, the speed of the disease transmission in communities in those areas is relatively slow, and consistent spread or concentrated outbreaks are rarely seen," he added.

Noting that, throughout the country, other areas, except for Hubei, have seen a decline of 10 days in a row for new cases of infections, Liang said that Wuhan and Hubei province remain the top priority forthe epidemic control efforts.

The existing prevention and control measures will continue to be adopted in key areas such as Wuhan, he said, adding such measures will be carried out rigorously at the community level, even infamilies and individuals, to ultimately cut the transmission routes and reduce infection and morality rates.