The following is a status update published on “The Waijiao” a foreigner related blog serving foreign teachers in China at www.thewaijiao.com:
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The Chinese mainland on Friday reported 20 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including eight locally transmitted cases and 12 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

Six of the locally transmitted cases were reported in northeast China’s Liaoning Province, while two were reported in Beijing, the commission said in its daily report.

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

Twelve COVID-19 patients on the Chinese mainland were discharged from hospitals following recovery on Friday.

By the end of Friday, a total of 4,193 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 3,919 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 274 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 86,933 by Friday, including 328 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 81,971 patients had been discharged following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died as a result of the virus, according to the commission.

There were no suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Friday, and 12,055 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Friday saw 19 asymptomatic cases newly reported, 17 of whom arrived from outside the mainland. No asymptomatic case was re-categorized as a confirmed case.

A total of 245 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, of whom 202 arrived from outside the mainland.

By the end of Friday, 8,481 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 136 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 cases in the Macao SAR, and 780 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 7,317 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 640 in Taiwan.