HARBIN, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province reported 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 68 asymptomatic infections on Wednesday, local health authorities said on Thursday.

All the new cases were close contacts or secondary close contacts of earlier COVID-19 infections in Huiqi Village, Wangkui County, administrated by Suihua City.

All the new confirmed and asymptomatic cases have been rushed to designated medical institutions. Their close contacts and secondary close contacts have been put under medical isolation, and the places they visited have been disinfected.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, a total of 92 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the city, among which 89 cases were in Wangkui County, said Dong Wenqin, executive vice mayor of Suihua, at a press conference on Thursday. Meanwhile, 110 asymptomatic infections have also been identified, of which 104 were in Wangkui.

The city has prepared 96 isolation centers for people from the high-risk areas for COVID-19 in the county, Dong added.

By 7 p.m. Wednesday, the county completed the first round of nucleic acid testing on all residents. The second round of testing will start on Friday.