HARBIN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Friday held 18 people accountable for their insufficient response to the local prevention and control of COVID-19.

Among them were Chen Yuanfei, deputy mayor of the provincial capital Harbin and also deputy head of the city's headquarters for COVID-19 response leading group, who was given demerit in his administrative records, and Fu Songbin, vice president of Harbin Medical University and also the deputy head of the university's epidemic response leading group, who received an intraparty warning and demerit, according to the provincial discipline inspection and supervision committee.

The other 16 people were given intraparty warning or demerit as punishment.

Harbin had seen 26 newly confirmed cases and 19 asymptomatic cases since April 9. They are cases from foreign countries and cases of infection from family gatherings and hospitalization.

The flare-up of the epidemic situation in the city showed that the relevant officials and public servants in the city of Harbin and Harbin Medical University have not properly fulfilled their duties, according to the discipline inspection and supervision committee.