SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – China reported 2,157 new symptomatic COVID-19 infections on Dec. 15, compared with 2,000 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said on Friday.
Excluding imported infections, China reported 2,091 new local symptomatic cases, up from 1,944 a day earlier.
China stopped reporting asymptomatic cases from Wednesday, citing a lack of testing among people with no symptoms that was making it difficult to accurately tally the total count.
There were no new deaths, compared with none the previous day, keeping fatalities at 5,235.
As of Dec. 15, mainland China had confirmed 374,075 cases with symptoms.
Official figures have become an unreliable guide as less testing is being done across the country following the recent easing of zero-COVID policies.
China’s capital Beijing reported 428 symptomatic cases, compared with 494 cases the previous day, local government data showed.
Financial hub Shanghai reported 36 symptomatic cases, compared with 22 a day before, the local health authority reported.
Guangzhou, a city in the south of nearly 19 million people said, reported 505 new locally transmitted cases compared with 370 a day before, local authorities said.
Chongqing reported 154 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID infections, compared with 143 the previous day, local government authorities said.