China reports 14 new coronavirus cases, toll reaches 82,877

China has reported 14 new COVID-19 cases, including 12 asymptomatic ones, taking the number of infections in the country to 82,877 while over 4,630 people have succumbed to the deadly virus, health officials said on Sunday. China's National Health Commission (NHC) said the two new confirmed cases were reported on Saturday which included one imported and another locally transmitted. The death toll remained 4,633 as no fatalities due to the coronavirus were reported on Saturday while the total number cases increased to 82,877 with 531 still undergoing treatment, it said.

China has reported a total of 1,672 imported cases so far, of which 451 Chinese coming from abroad are still being treated with six in severe conditions, the NHC said. Also on Saturday, 12 new asymptomatic cases were reported in China. So far, 968 asymptomatic cases, including 98 from abroad, are still under medical observation, it said. The central Hubei province which was cleared of confirmed COVID-19 cases on April 26, reported 651 asymptomatic infections as of Saturday.

Asymptomatic cases refer to people who are tested COVID-19 positive but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. However, they pose a risk of spreading the disease to others. The Chinese government has banned foreigners from entering the country and reduced the number of international flights, making it difficult for Chinese citizens to return from abroad. The novel coronavirus which originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed 243,829 lives and has infected over 3.4 million people, according to Johns Hopkins University data.