China reports 21,439 new COVID cases for Dec 7 vs 25,321 a day earlier

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China reported 21,439 new COVID-19 infections on Dec. 7, of which 4,079 were symptomatic and 17,360 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.

That compared with 25,321 new cases a day earlier – 4,409 symptomatic and 20,912 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

Excluding imported infections, China reported 21,165 new local cases, of which 4,031 were symptomatic and 17,134 were asymptomatic, down from 25,115 a day earlier.

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

As of Dec. 7, mainland China had confirmed 354,017 cases with symptoms.

Cases have dropped as China undertakes substantial changes to its rigid zero-COVID policy.

The capital Beijing reported 1,168 symptomatic and 2,194 asymptomatic cases, compared with 1,170 symptomatic and 2,804 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed.

Financial hub Shanghai reported 39 symptomatic cases and 327 asymptomatic cases, compared with 24 symptomatic cases and 454 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported.

Guangzhou, a city in the south of nearly 19 million people, reported 911 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 1,640 asymptomatic cases, compared with 902 symptomatic and 2,090 asymptomatic cases a day before, local authorities said.

Chongqing reported 155 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 3,006 asymptomatic cases, compared with 184 symptomatic and 3,581 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.

(Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Jacqueline Wong)