China reports eight new COVID-19 cases vs 19 a day earlier

FILE PHOTO: A member of the media gets a nucleic acid test before covering a news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China reported eight new COVID-19 cases on March 8, down from 19 a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Tuesday.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that all new cases were imported infections. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to nine from 17 a day earlier.

Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stand at 90,002. The death toll remains unchanged at 4,636.

(Reporting by Jing Wang and Emily Chow; Writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Tom Hogue)