BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The current situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in China is taking a turn for the better, said an official with the National Health Commission (NHC) Friday.

Wu Liangyou, deputy head of the disease control and prevention division of the NHC, said at a Friday press conference that during the five-day Labor Day holiday, the epidemic situation in the country has remained largely under control.

According to Wu, Shanghai is seeing a continuous decline in the number of daily new infections. In the meantime, Beijing has diminished the risk of the virus spreading by conducting mass nucleic acid testing in key areas and adopting active containment measures.

However, Wu also warned that provinces including Liaoning, Zhejiang and Henan are seeing new waves of the epidemic, and the sources are yet to be determined.

Urgent efforts are needed to respond to regional cluster infections, added Wu.

The NHC, as well as other related departments, will continue to guide regional authorities in strictly implementing epidemic prevention and control measures, so as to reinforce the defense against the virus.