BEIJING — The Chinese mainland recorded 55 new locally-transmitted COVID-19 infections over the past day, a considerable drop compared with 127 newly reported a day earlier.

Jan 18 saw 33 new local infections in Henan, 14 in Tianjin, seven in Guangdong, and one in Beijing, according to the latest data from the National Health Commission.

Across the Chinese mainland, a total of 32 imported COVID-19 cases were also newly reported.

The commission noted that there were no new deaths from COVID-19 but added that five new suspected infections, all arriving from overseas, were recorded.

Following the recovery of 163 patients on Jan 18, the number of COVID-19 cases now under treatment has decreased to 3,454 from 3,530 a day earlier.

A total of 4,636 had died as a result of the virus on the Chinese mainland since the pandemic. The toll has remained unchanged for almost a year.

The death toll increased from 4,635 as of Jan 24, 2021 to 4,636 the following day.