BEIJING: China reported 24 new coronavirus cases, including 21 asymptomatic infections, while Beijing city discharged its last locally transmitted COVID-19 patient after treatment, health officials said on Tuesday.
Three imported cases were reported on Monday, including two in Guangdong province and one in Sichuan province, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Tuesday.
Also on Monday, 21 new asymptomatic cases, including two from overseas, were reported on the mainland.
One case, imported from abroad, was re-categorized as a confirmed case. A total of 47 asymptomatic cases, including two from overseas, were discharged from medical observation.
The NHC said 174 asymptomatic cases, including 84 in Wuhan, were still under quarantine.
Asymptomatic cases also known as silent spreaders, pose a problem as the patients are tested COVID-19 positive but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat.
However, they pose a risk of spreading the disease to others.
As of Monday, the overall confirmed cases in China had reached 83,043, including 58 patients who were still being treated, with no one in severe condition.
Altogether 78,351 people had been discharged after recovery and 4,634 people had died of the disease, it said.
Meanwhile, Beijing cleared all its domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases as the last patient was cured and discharged from hospital on Monday, local authorities said on Tuesday.
No new confirmed cases, suspected cases and asymptomatic cases were reported in the Chinese capital on Monday, according to Beijing Municipal Health Commission.
As of Monday, Beijing had reported a total of 420 domestically transmitted cases, including nine deaths. A total of 174 imported cases were reported in Beijing with one still being treated in hospital by Monday.
Beijing saw no new domestically transmitted cases for 54 consecutive days, the commission said. Currently, Beijing is not allowing any international flights carrying overseas Chinese to land.
All flights are diverted to various cities where the passengers are tested and kept for 14-day quarantine after which they would be permitted to travel to Beijing if they are tested negative.
China is also airlifting hundreds of its nationals from India.
The capital lowered its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the second level to the third level starting Saturday.