BREAKING NEWS

Mainland China reports 8 new COVID-19 cases vs 15 a day earlier

 Mainland China reported eight new COVID-19 cases on Nov. 17, down from 15 cases a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Wednesday.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that one of the new cases was a local infection reported in the city of Tianjin, which shares a border with capital Beijing.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed infections, fell to five from 12 a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 86,369, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.