Guangdong reported 86 new cases of SARS in the first ten days of April, 40.7 percent less than the same period in March, according to statistics from the health department of Guangdong Province.

From April 1-10, four patients died while 120 recovered and were discharged from hospital.

During the period, the provincial capital Guangzhou, where the instances of SARS are relatively high, reported 54 new cases, down 62.5 percent from the first ten days of March and an 18.2 percent decrease from the previous ten days, statistics show.

Besides Guangzhou, 32 cases appeared in other cities, including 13 in Jiangmen, 10 in Shenzhen, two in Huizhou, two in Shanwei and one each in Heyuan, Fuoshan, Zhaoqing, Shantou and Zhanjiang.

By April 10, Guangdong had cured a total of 1,031 SARS patients with a recovery rate of 83.2 percent, up 4.2 percent from the figure at the end of March.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2003)