While the mockery that this U.S. plan has engendered is understandable, the stern denunciations from some of the political echelon have been a bit much, Matthew Fisher says.

Saturday's sole case of domestically transmitted coronavirus was recorded in Henan province, bordering Hubei.

Imported infections, mostly among Chinese nationals returning home, now pose the biggest concern for authorities.

All of the new patients were travellers who came to China from overseas, with the mainland reporting no locally transmitted infections on Wednesday.

Chinese authorities said Tuesday they will end a two-month lockdown of most of coronavirus-hit Hubei province at midnight, as domestic cases of the virus continue to subside.

Mainland China saw no new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections.

The lack of locally transmitted cases for the third day running underscored a recovery that has prompted officials to relax restrictions, even in the virus epicenter of Wuhan, which was responsible for all seven new deaths.

Dr. Li Wenliang, who died at the age of 34, became one of the crisis's most visible figures in the early days of the outbreak when he tried to sound the alarm in the central city of Wuhan.

Satellite imagery shows the high levels of nitrogen dioxide over China went down as lockdowns and factory closures were enforced earlier this year, but it's starting to rise again as cases drop.

Some experts have raised the possibility that COVID-19 could become an entrenched seasonal illness along with ordinary influenza.