Beijing reports five local COVID-19 cases from Saturday noon

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Beijing reported five locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases from 12 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. Sunday, local health authorities said Sunday.

An asymptomatic case was also reported during the period.

Three of the new cases in the northern suburban district of Changping are close contacts of previously confirmed cases. The remaining two both had took self-driving tours to northern and northwestern parts of China, where new cases were reported, according to the municipal health commission.

The new infections in the city were caused by the Delta variant, and most of the infected are above 55 years old, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of Beijing's center for disease control and prevention.