BEIJING — China's National Health Commission said on Jan 4 that it received reports of 33 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland on Jan 3, including 13 locally transmitted cases and 20 imported ones.

Six locally transmitted cases were reported in Liaoning, four in Hebei, two in Beijing, and one in Heilongjiang, said the commission in its daily report.

No new suspected cases or deaths related to the disease were reported.

A total of 17 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Jan 3.

By the end of Jan 3, a total of 4,323 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 4,037 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 286 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 87,150 by Jan 3, including 411 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 82,105 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the virus, according to the report.

There was one suspected COVID-19 case on the mainland as of Jan 3.

Jan 3 also saw 40 newly reported asymptomatic cases on the mainland. On the same day, four asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones.

A total of 294 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, of which 240 were imported ones, the commission said.

By the end of Jan 3, 8,964 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 150 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 46 confirmed cases had been reported in Macao SAR, and 812 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

Altogether 8,011 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 689 in Taiwan.