Beijing, May 20: The fears of mutation in the virus causing coronavirus was renewed after China recorded significant changes in the fresh wave of cases. Patients of the new cluster which has emerged in the northern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang symptomatically differ from their counterparts in Wuhan -- which was the hotbed of COVID-19 outbreak in China. Coronavirus May Have Silently Existed in China as Early as Last October: Study.

Qiu Haibo, one of China’s top critical care doctors, told the state-run media that patients in the northern provinces are showing symptoms nearly two weeks after contracting the virus. Further, their recovery pace is also staggered, and taking way more longer than the time taken by non-critical patients in Wuhan to cure.

Symptoms also differ to an extent as the patients in Wuhan showed multi-organ damage after being infected with coronavirus. On the other hand, patients among the new cluster of cases on north are only diagnosed with infection in their lungs.

"The longer period during which infected patients show no symptoms has created clusters of family infections," Haibo told a news channel based in Beijing. A total of 46 new cases have been recorded in the two northern provinces, with the infections being spread in the three cities of Shulan, Jilin city and Shenyang.

Another point of contrast in the new cluster of cases, as compared with the spree of infections in Wuhan, is the low percentile of critical cases. Only 26 percent of the new infections had to be admitted, and only 10 percent are said to be in critical condition.

Following the re-emergence of cases in the northern provinces, lockdown has once again been imposed in the region by the government. The provinces entail a dense population of 100 million, which has prompted the authorities to shutdown trains, order closure of all establishments, schools and colleges. Housing societies have also been ordered to remain locked.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2020 04:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).