Coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan, China reports no new 'homegrown' cases

WUHAN, China -- China's health ministry said the virus epicenter of Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province had reported no new virus cases on Thursday.

The ministry said that results over the past 24 hours showed 34 new cases, all detected in people arriving from abroad.

Eight new deaths were reported, all in Wuhan.

Wuhan at the peak reported thousands of new cases of coronavirus infection daily, overwhelming its healthcare system.

Medical teams deployed to Wuhan from across China have started their homeward journeys and as of Wednesday, a total of 2,364 medical staff have left Wuhan, China's Central Television reported.

China has now recorded a total of 80,928 confirmed virus cases with 3,245 deaths. Another 70,420 people have been released from hospital and 7,263 remain in treatment.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the virus.