BEIJING - The State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 has sent a working team to Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, to provide guidance on epidemic response, according to information from the National Health Commission.

The team will help with local epidemic control efforts including medical treatment, epidemiological investigation, management of close contacts and community-level prevention and control.

Nanjing on Thursday reported 12 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and six asymptomatic cases, local health authorities said Friday.

As of Thursday, 23 confirmed cases and 14 asymptomatic carriers, all locally transmitted, had been reported in Nanjing after positive results were found during routine nucleic acid testing among airport staff.