WUHAN, March 23 (Xinhua) - No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported Sunday in Wuhan, marking the fifth day in a row of zero report as the former hardest-hit city recovers from the epidemic.

Doctors conduct a surgery on a patient of COVID-19 in critical condition at a hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 21, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

The health commission of Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, said the central Chinese province also registered zero increase in new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

Hubei saw nine new deaths, all of which were in Wuhan.