Coronavirus: Chinese city of Wuhan records new cluster of cases after relaxing lockdown

Wuhan has reported six new cases of COVID-19 over the last few days, marking the start of a potential new wave of coronavirus.

Wuhan has reported six new cases of COVID-19 over the last few days. Picture: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

The Chinese city of Wuhan has reported six new cases of COVID-19 over the last few days, marking the first officially documented re-emergence of the virus there in over a month.

Wuhan, where the coronavirus first broke out last December, had not recorded a new case since April 3, and comes after the country eased lockdowns and reopened schools.

RELATED: Follow our coronavirus coverage here

RELATED: Fears of a second wave sweep globe

The first new Wuhan case was previously asymptomatic, according to the Hubei provincial health commission.

The 89-year-old man had not left his residential compound in Dongxihu district since the Lunar New Year in late January. His wife also tested positive, though she showed no symptoms, the Wuhan municipal health commission said.

The residential compound has had 20 confirmed cases, and experts say the new infection was mainly due to previous community infections.

After the case was confirmed, medical officials have carried out nucleic acid tests on residents of the compound and found five asymptomatic infections.

The infections highlight the continued potential for new clusters of infections due to carriers who do not look ill or have a fever.

Cases of COVID-19 are slowly beginning to rise across China again. Picture: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

On Sunday, authorities also reported what could be the beginning of a new wave of coronavirus cases in northeast China, with one city in Jilin province being reclassified as high-risk, the top of a three-tier zoning system.

Jilin officials raised the risk level of the city of Shulan to high from medium, having hoisted it to medium from low just the day before, after one woman tested positive on May 7.

Eleven new cases in Shulan were confirmed on May 9, all of them members of her family or people who came into contact with her or family members.

RELATED: Wuhan lab had ‘emergency shutdown’ in October

RELATED: New York’s patient zero breaks silence

The new cases pushed the overall number of new confirmed cases in mainland China on May 9 to 14, according to the National Health Commission, the highest number since April 28.

In Wuhan, more than 20,000 people will be tested in the area where the cluster of recent cases was found, according to China’s state media.

Almost 4000 people have died across the city, according to the official tally, although there is speculation that figure could be higher.

China has repeatedly faced questions about the accuracy of its reporting on COVID-19 cases.

– with wires