New confirmed cases rise in Heilongjiang, Jilin

Northeast China's Heilongjiang province reported 56 new confirmed cases and 37 asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 on Friday, the provincial Health Commission said on Saturday.

Among the cases, 40 confirmed cases and 22 asymptomatic carriers were reported in Suihua city's Wangkui county, where the first asymptomatic carrier associated with the recent outbreak was reported on Jan 10.

As of Friday, Heilongjiang has reported 359 confirmed cases and 459 asymptomatic carriers since Jan 10.

Neighboring Jilin province on Friday reported 13 confirmed cases, driving the caseload to 194 since the recent local transmission in Jilin came after the first asymptomatic carriers returned from Heilongjiang, according to the provincial Health Commission.

And 15 of the patients are in severe conditions, the commission said.

The province also identified 52 asymptomatic carriers on Friday, bringing the total to 97.

Among all the cases, 138 confirmed cases and 81 symptomatic carriers were found in the city of Tonghua.

"Medical teams including 16 national-level experts and 130 medical workers from the Third Bethune Hospital of Jilin University have arrived in Tonghua for medical support," Zhang Li, deputy director of the commission, said at a news conference on Friday.