BEIJING, December 24. /TASS/. A total of 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection have been registered in China in the past 24 hours, China’s State Committee on Hygiene and Health said on Thursday.

According to the Committee, no deaths were recorded over past 24 hours, 22 people were discharged from hospitals.

Of the 17 new cases of infection, 11 are imported: six were detected in Shanghai, two in Sichuan, and one case each in Liaoning, Henan and Guangdong provinces. Another six cases, all in Liaoning province, are internal.

In total, since the beginning of the pandemic, Chinese doctors have identified 4,174 cases among those arriving from abroad. 3,900 of them have already recovered and were discharged from hospitals. 274 people are undergoing treatment (five of them are in serious condition). None of infected person who arrived in China from abroad died.

According to the latest data, the total number of confirmed cases of the disease caused by the coronavirus in mainland China has reached 86,899, with 4,634 deaths and 81,950 patients recovered. According to information from the authorities, there are now 315 active cases of the disease in the country, six infected are in serious condition.

Since the beginning of April, the Chinese authorities have published separate statistics for asymptomatic patients. Over the past 24 hours, Chinese doctors have identified 19 people with confirmed coronavirus and no symptoms, 14 of them came from abroad. Currently, there are 229 asymptomatic patients under medical supervision in the country, 187 of whom came from abroad.