BEIJING — China's National Health Commission said on Dec 21 that it received reports of 23 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland on Dec 20, including 21 imported ones and two locally transmitted ones.

The two locally transmitted cases were reported in Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces respectively, the commission's daily report showed.

Four new suspected cases, all of which were imported, were reported in Shanghai, according to the commission.

No new deaths related to the disease were reported on Dec 20.

A total of 14 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Dec 20.

By the end of Dec 20, a total of 4,136 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 3,859 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 277 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 86,852 by Dec 20, including 318 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 81,900 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 seven suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland as of Dec 20, and 6,927 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Dec 20 also saw 15 newly reported asymptomatic cases on the mainland. On the same day, one asymptomatic case was re-categorized as a confirmed one.

A total of 208 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, out of which 182 were imported cases, the commission said.

By the end of Dec 20, 8,152 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 130 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 46 confirmed cases had been reported in Macao SAR, and 766 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

Altogether 6,837 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 627 in Taiwan.