An elderly woman receives a shot of COVID-19 vaccine in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Dec 12, 2022. [Photo/IC]

Chinese health authorities announced late on Monday that they have decided to immediately rename the term "novel coronavirus pneumonia" to "novel coronavirus infection" and downgrade the management of the disease from category A to category B starting Jan 8.

The downgrade means that infected cases will no longer be put in isolation and their close contacts will no longer be tracked, the National Health Commission said.

In addition, disease control measures targeting incoming travelers and imported cargo will be lifted, the commission said.