BEIJING — The Chinese mainland on Dec 31 reported 19 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including nine locally transmitted cases and 10 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said on Jan 1.

Five of the locally transmitted cases were reported in Beijing, and four in Northeast China's Liaoning province, the commission said in its daily report.

A new suspected case arriving in Shanghai from outside the mainland was reported on Dec 31, said the commission.

Seventeen COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Dec 31.

By the end of Dec 31, a total of 4,273 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 4,006 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 267 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 87,071 by Dec 31, including 370 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 82,067 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died as a result of the virus, according to the commission.

There was one suspected COVID-19 case on the mainland on Dec 31, and 13,584 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Dec 31 saw 19 asymptomatic cases newly reported, 16 of whom arrived from outside the mainland. One asymptomatic case was re-categorized as the confirmed case on the same day.

A total of 279 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, of whom 227 arrived from outside the mainland.

By the end of Dec 31, 8,846 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 148 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 cases in the Macao SAR, and 799 cases including seven deaths in Taiwan.

A total of 7,813 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 671 in Taiwan.