Rapid rise in virus numbers due to better ability to diagnose: Wuhan official

The rapid rise in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Monday resulted from the city's increased ability in diagnosis, and it doesn't mean the virus has spread faster than before, a leading city official said.

Since Friday, nine hospitals in the city and Disease Control and Prevention of Hubei have all been granted the authority to make a diagnosis with the help of diagnostic kits, so more people who were previously suspected of having the disease were confirmed that they did have the infection, said Ma Guoqiang, Wuhan Party chief.

He made the remarks when answering a China Daily reporter's question on the sudden rise of confirmed infections during a news conference held in the city on Tuesday night.

"The rise doesn't mean the virus has spread faster than before," he said.

In Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, 892 new infections were confirmed on Monday, pushing up the number of patients to 1,590 in the provincial capital. Twenty-two patients died that day in the city.