Geneva, May 2 (IANS): The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the news that there were no more hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus originated last December, praising its people's "tireless efforts" to combat the pandemic.

According to city authorities, Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, was cleared of all COVID-19 cases in hospitals by April 26, reports Xinhua news agency.

"That's very very welcome news to hear that there are no more severe cases, no more patients in Wuhan," said Maria van Kerkhove, technical lead for the WHO's Health Emergencies Program at a virtual press briefing here on Friday.

"So congratulations on this achievement," she said.

Van Kerkhove appreciated the "tireless efforts" of the people in Wuhan -- "not just the healthcare workers but the individuals who stayed in their homes, who adhered to the public health measures".

She however, asked the people in Wuhan to "remain vigilant", should new cases appear.

Meanwhile, Hubei province has not reported any new COVID-19 case for the 28th consecutive day since April 4.

Hubei was cleared of confirmed COVID-19 cases on April 26.

As of Saturday morning, China has reported 83,959 COVID-19 cases, with 4,637 deaths.