Wuhan declared low-risk area

Beijing/Wuhan, April 19

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China has classified the coronavirus epicentre Wuhan as a low-risk area, days after it revised the city’s death toll by 50 per cent, even as 16 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the country, health officials said on Sunday.

As per the risk criteria defined in a guideline issued by China’s State Council, cities, counties and districts with no newly confirmed cases in the last 14 days are categorised as low-risk areas.

Those with fewer than 50 cases or those with over 50, but without a concentrated outbreak are classified as mid-risk areas, and those with over 50 cases as well as a concentrated outbreak are classified as high-risk areas.

China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday that 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Saturday, with nine imported cases and seven local transmissions. The death toll remained at 4,632 as no new fatalities were reported on Saturday, it said. —PTI

Virology lab chief denies charge

• A premier Chinese virology laboratory in Wuhan, which is in the eye of the storm for allegedly being the source of the virus, has for the first time refuted the charge the deadly virus originated from his lab
• The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) specifically its P4 laboratory, is equipped to handle dangerous viruses. Its director Yuan Zhiming said, “We have a strict regulatory regimen. We have code of conduct for research, so we are confident that there is no way that virus came from us.”