China reports 7,679 new COVID cases for Dec 12 vs 8,838 a day earlier

China reported 7,679 new COVID-19 infections on Dec. 12, of which 2,315 were symptomatic and 5,364 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.

That compared with 8,838 new cases a day earlier – 2,240 symptomatic and 6,598 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

Overall cases have dropped as China does less testing on its population, part of a broad relaxation of its earlier zero-COVID policy.

Excluding imported infections, China reported 7,451 new local cases, of which 2,270 were symptomatic and 5,181 were asymptomatic, down from 8,626 a day earlier.

There were no deaths, compared with zero the previous day, keeping fatalities at 5,235.

As of Dec. 12, mainland China had confirmed 367,627 cases with symptoms.

China's capital Beijing reported 559 symptomatic and 468 asymptomatic cases, compared with 528 symptomatic and 609 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed.

Financial hub Shanghai reported 14 symptomatic cases and 115 asymptomatic cases, compared with 11 symptomatic cases and 120 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported.

Guangzhou, a city in the south of nearly 19 million people, reported 291 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 434 asymptomatic cases, compared with 414 symptomatic and 599 asymptomatic cases a day before, local authorities said.

Chongqing reported 180 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 1,398 asymptomatic cases, compared with 101 symptomatic and 1,744 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.