BEIJING — The Chinese mainland on Jan 20 reported 144 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 126 locally transmitted and 18 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said on Jan 21.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 68 were reported in Heilongjiang, 33 in Jilin, 20 in Hebei, two each in Beijing and Shanxi, and one in Shandong, the commission said in its daily report.

Five suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were newly reported in Shanghai, said the commission, adding that no deaths related to the disease were reported on Jan 20.

By the end of Jan 20, the mainland had reported 4,563 imported COVID-19 cases in total. Among them, 4,275 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 288 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 88,701 by Jan 20, including 1,598 patients still receiving treatment, of whom 68 were in severe condition.

A total of 82,468 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,635 had died of the disease, according to the commission.

There were five suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Jan 20, and 36,874 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Jan 20 also saw 113 asymptomatic cases newly reported on the mainland, of which 16 arrived from outside the mainland. On the same day, 56 asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

There were 844 asymptomatic cases still under medical observation, of which 268 arrived from outside the mainland.

By the end of Jan 20, 9,797 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 166 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 cases in the Macao SAR, and 870 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 8,865 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 769 in Taiwan.