BEIJING (REUTERS) - China reported 50 new confirmed Covid-19 cases for Oct 22 compared with 43 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Saturday (Oct 23).

Of the new infections, 38 were locally transmitted cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared with 28 a day earlier.

The new local cases were reported in the provinces of Gansu, the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, the city of Beijing and Yunnan province.

China reported 17 new asymptomatic patients, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, compared with 26 a day earlier.

There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636.

As at Oct 22, mainland China had 96,715 confirmed coronavirus infections.

The health authorities said Beijing reported six locally transmitted Covid-19 cases on Friday.

Five of the six people travelled to north China's Inner Mongolia region, north-west China's Ningxia and north China's Shanxi province from Oct 12 to 15, before returning to Beijing on Oct 16.

Another was a close contact, according to the municipal health commission.

All of the cases have been sent to a designated hospital for treatment, with epidemiological investigation ongoing, the local authorities added.