China's national health authority said Wednesday that it had recorded the fewest number of new COVID-19 cases in more than a month, which could indicate a subsiding of the current coronavirus wave ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday break.
The National Health Commission said that it only recorded a total of 25 new cases throughout mainland China on Feb. 2. This was five cases less than a day earlier. The commission said that it was the lowest recorded since the 24 cases recorded on Jan. 2.
The commission said in a statement that 15 of the new cases that were recorded were locally transmitted infections. Eight cases were reported in the country's northeastern Jilin province, while six new cases were reported in Heilongjiang province.
In Hebei province, one of the hardest-hit regions by the COVID-19 outbreak in China, only one new case was reported. Authorities said that the low case count in Hebei province can be attributed to the immediately implemented strict coronavirus measures during the height of the pandemic early last year.
It has to be noted that China does not account for asymptomatic cases as confirmed cases. Nevertheless, the amount of confirmed cases in the country has declined significantly in recent weeks.
As of Wednesday, China's total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 89,619, including the 25 new cases reported. The death toll in the county remains unchanged at 4,636.
Local authorities imposed strict coronavirus measures in the worst-hit regions, including travel curbs, movement lockdowns, and mass testing. Some of those measures are still in effect to this day in some parts of China. Some cities have also recently re-imposed the restrictions to reduce infections ahead of the Lunar New Year break - when millions are expected to travel.
In recent weeks, regional and national governments have made repeated announcements to discourage people from traveling during the upcoming holiday - which starts on Feb. 11. Officials said that they expect the number of travelers during the holiday to be significantly lower when compared to last year due to the heightened precautionary measures.
