BEIJING — China's National Health Commission said on Dec 13 that it received reports of 24 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland on Dec 12, including five domestically transmitted cases and 19 imported ones.

Of the domestically transmitted cases, four were reported in Heilongjiang and one in Sichuan, the commission said in its daily report.

One new suspected case was reported in Shanghai. No new deaths related to the disease were reported.

A total of 11 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Dec 12.

By the end of Dec 12, a total of 4,021 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 3,762 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 259 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 86,725 by Dec 12, including 306 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 81,785 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the virus, according to the report.

There were two suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland as of Dec 12, and 7,006 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Dec 12 also saw 14 newly reported asymptomatic cases on the mainland, including nine arriving from outside the mainland. On the same day, five imported asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones.

A total of 195 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, out of which 181 were imported cases, the commission said.

By the end of Dec 12, 7,446 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 115 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 46 confirmed cases had been reported in Macao SAR, and 733 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

Altogether 6,114 COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, while 46 had been discharged from hospitals in Macao SAR, and 601 in Taiwan.