China's Wuhan city discharges last three COVID-19 patients from hospital
Beijing: The last three coronavirus patients in Wuhan, the first epicenter of the COVID-19, have been discharged and the central Chinese city has recorded zero cases of the virus after mass testing of about 10 million people, state media reported on Friday.
According to China's National Health Commission (NHC), five imported cases, including four in Shanghai and one in Sichuan Province, were reported in China on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, three new asymptomatic cases were reported taking the total of such cases under medical observation to 297, the NHC said.
As of Thursday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland have reached 83,027, including 66 patients who were still being treated, and 78,327 people who had been discharged after recovery.
Altogether 4,634 people have died of the disease, the NHC said.
The last three COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province, have recovered and been discharged from a hospital, state-run People's Daily reported on Friday.
They were discharged on Thursday after they tested negative for two nucleic acid tests within 24 hours, their temperatures fell to normal levels and their symptoms disappeared, according to the report.
By Thursday, all COVID-19 patients in Hubei, the province most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic in China, have been discharged from the hospitals. In total, the province reported 68,135 cases, with 63,623 recovered and discharged. In all 4,512 people died due to coronavirus in the province.
As of Wednesday, Wuhan still has 245 people with asymptomatic symptoms were under quarantine.
Asymptomatic cases also known as silent spreaders, pose a problem as the patients 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.
Hubei has accomplished seven zeros by Thursday: zero new COVID-19 cases, zero new suspected cases, zero new deaths, zero silent carriers, zero imported cases, zero existing confirmed cases, and zero existing suspected cases, state-run Global Times reported.
All districts in Wuhan, about 10 million have been tested and are now assessed to be low risk for the coronavirus infection. Dongxihu district, the last medium-risk district in the city, reported zero new cases for 14 consecutive days to June 1 and its risk level was adjusted to low on June 2, the report said.
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Middle East crisis: Oil prices cross $83 per barrel as Strait of Hormuz disruption hits supply
New Delhi: Global crude oil prices rose sharply on Thursday, crossing $83 per barrel, following Iran’s move to shut down the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Oil prices have increased by more than 2 per cent due to concerns over supply disruptions in the region, which is a key route for global energy shipments.
A sustained rise in crude prices could significantly affect India’s import bill. Government estimates indicate that an increase of $1 per barrel in crude oil prices for a full year could raise India’s import bill by around Rs 16,000 crore.
However, government sources said India remains in a relatively comfortable position in the short term. The country currently has crude oil reserves sufficient for about 25 days, along with an additional 25 days’ supply of petroleum products, including shipments already in transit to Indian ports.
India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements from the Middle East, with much of the supply traditionally passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.
Officials said India has strengthened its energy security in recent years by diversifying its sources of crude oil imports. Supplies have increasingly been sourced from countries such as Russia, African nations and the United States, reducing dependence on Gulf routes.
As a result, a portion of India’s oil imports now bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
India spent about $137 billion on crude oil imports in the financial year ending March 31, 2025. In the current financial year, from April 2025 to January 2026, the country spent approximately $100.4 billion to import 206.3 million tonnes of crude oil.
