Beijing, April 25 : China's National Health Commission said on Saturday that there were only 49 people in critical condition due to the novel coronavirus, the lowest figure since the end of January. Health authorities reported that for the first time since the outbreak began in Wuhan last December, not one of these serious COVID-19 case was reported in the city, where currently 23 "active" infections remain, reports Efe news. Until midnight, 12 new cases had been recorded, 11 of which were imported, according to the Commission. The remaining case was a "local" infection diagnosed in Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia and where an outbreak has been detected among travellers from Russia in recent days, prompting China to close its border with the neighbouring country. It is also the ninth consecutive day on which the Chinese authorities have not recorded any new fatalities so the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 among the 82,816 cases officially confirmed in China since the onset of the pandemic remains at 4,632. The total number of people who have recovered from the disease and been discharged stands at 77,346, leaving the number of "active" infections in the Asian giant at 838. To date, 729,287 people in close contact with the patients have been medically monitored, of which 8,493 are still under observation, and of these, 17 are suspected cases of having been infected with the virus. China also registered 29 new cases of asymptomatic patients, bringing the total number of asymptomatic patients under observation to 983. /IANS