China reports fall in new virus cases for third day, 38 more deaths

China on Wednesday reported 38 more deaths from the new coronavirus but a fall in fresh cases for a third consecutive day.

The death toll nationwide is now 2,981, the National Health Commission said, with more than 80,200 people infected in total.

There were 115 new cases in central Hubei province — the epicentre where the virus first emerged in December last year — and only four elsewhere in the country.

The figures in China have generally been declining in recent weeks as a series of draconian quarantine measures seem to be paying off.

But there are mounting concerns about infections being brought back into the country from other global hotspots.

In total there have been 13 confirmed cases of the virus being imported to the mainland — all in Chinese nationals returning from overseas.

Quarantine measures have been put in place on people arriving in Beijing, Shanghai and southern Guangdong province from virus-hit countries.

The number of suspected infections in China fell to the lowest level since late January, at 520 cases — down from nearly 29,000 suspected cases reported in early February.