A community worker disinfects packages at a community in Beijing's Haidian district, June 23, 2020. (REN CHAO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China currently can offer 3.78 million nucleic acid tests every day, a 200-percent increase from March, a health official said Wednesday.

As of Monday, Chinese medical institutions had conducted 90.41 million nucleic acid tests in total, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission.

As of Monday, Chinese medical institutions had conducted 90.41 million nucleic acid tests in total, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission

The total number of designated centers offering nucleic acid testing has increased from 2,081 in early March to the current 4,804, marking a 131 percent increase, Guo noted, adding that 28,500 technicians are engaged in nucleic acid testing.

In order to improve nucleic acid testing capacity in various regions, the commission initiated an online training program to cultivate relevant professionals on June 15, said He Qinghua, an official with the commission.

A total of 360,000 people across the country have received such training by Wednesday noon, He noted, adding that the health authorities of provincial-level regions should offer hands-on training for those who have finished online courses.

China okays human trial for vaccine

Chinese authorities have approved a new COVID-19 vaccine candidate for human trials, the Institute of Microbiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

The recombinant protein vaccine was issued with a clinical research permit from the National Medical Products Administration on June 19, according to the institute, which is the vaccine's main developer.

Researchers will start phase 1 clinical trials in hospitals in Chongqing and Beijing to determine whether the vaccine is safe for use on humans, its co-developer Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. confirmed

Researchers will start phase 1 clinical trials in hospitals in Chongqing and Beijing to determine whether the vaccine is safe for use on humans, its co-developer Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. confirmed.

It marks the third type of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese researchers to enter clinical trials. One adenovirus vaccine and four inactivated vaccines had previously been approved for human tests in China, with some having just cleared phase 2 trials.

Mainland reports 12 new cases

Chinese health authorities said Wednesday that it received reports of 12 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, of which nine were transmitted domestically and three were imported.

Seven out of the nine local cases were reported in Beijing while the remaining two were reported in neighboring Hebei province, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

READ MORE: COVID-19 'contained' as new cases drop in Beijing

No deaths related to COVID-19 were reported Tuesday, according to the commission.

From June 11 to 23, Beijing had reported 256 confirmed cases transmitted locally, all of which were receiving treatment, the municipal health commission said. There were 22 asymptomatic cases still under medical observation, and one imported case remained hospitalized, the commission said.

A medical worker prepares test reagents at a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory at Beijing Puren Hospital in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2020. The PCR lab was put into use on June 15 to conduct nucleic acid testing for COVID-19. (ZHANG YUWEI / XINHUA)

As of Tuesday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 83,430, including 368 patients who were still being treated, with 12 in severe condition.

Altogether, 78,428 people had been discharged after recovery and 4,634 people had died of the disease, the National Health Commission said.

By Tuesday, the mainland had reported a total of 1,888 imported cases. Out of those cases, 1,801 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery while 87 remained hospitalized, including one in severe condition. No deaths from imported cases had been reported.

Seven out of the nine new cases on the mainland on Tuesday were reported in Beijing, according to the National Health Commission

The commission said four new suspected cases were reported in Beijing Tuesday, bringing the total number of suspected cases in the country to 18.

According to the commission, 7,557 close contacts were still under medical observation after 584 people were released from medical observation Tuesday.

READ MORE: China to include COVID-19 testing in medical insurance

Three new asymptomatic cases, including one imported from abroad, were reported on the mainland Tuesday, it said, adding that one asymptomatic case was re-categorized as a confirmed case.

The commission said 100 asymptomatic cases, including 59 imported from abroad, were still under medical observation.

China saw fewer close contacts of COVID-19 patients on Tuesday, the first time a decrease in the figure was posted since the recent cluster infections were reported in Beijing, Hu Qiangqiang, a spokesperson for the commission, said Wednesday.

Noting the increasing number of local and suspected cases, Hu urged strengthened prevention and control measures during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holiday. 

READ MORE: Beijing to celebrate Dragon Boat online

HK, Macao, Taiwan

By Tuesday, 1,177 confirmed cases, including six deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 45 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 446 in Taiwan, including seven deaths.

A total of 1,083 patients in the Hong Kong SAR, 45 in the Macao SAR, and 435 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery.