China reports 191 new COVID-19 cases for Jan 1 vs 231 day earlier

BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported 191 confirmed coronavirus cases for Jan 1, down from 231 a day earlier, the country's health authority said on Sunday.

Of the new infections, 131 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, down from 175 a day earlier.

Most of the new local cases were in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, where the capital city Xian has been on lockdown to try to control the spread of the disease. Zhejiang and Henan provinces also reported new cases.

China reported 52 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifes separately from confirmed cases, compared with 38 a day earlier.

There were no new fatalities, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636. Mainland China had 102,505 confirmed cases as of the end of Jan 1.

(Reporting by Min Zhang and Tony Munroe: Editing by Neil Fullick)