433 new coronavirus cases confirmed on mainland

New infections of the novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland were reported to be 433 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections up to 78,497, the National Health Commission released on Thursday.

Of those new infections, 409 were reported in Central China's Hubei, the province most affected by the epidemic.

Of the confirmed cases added in the province, 383 were found in its capital Wuhan, said the commission.

As of Wednesday midnight, the commission reported 29 new deaths, increasing the death toll to 2,744, according to the commission.

Another 508 new suspected cases were reported, said the commission. On the same day, a total of 2,750 people had been discharged from the hospital after recovery.

The commission added that patients in severe condition had been reduced by 406 in the past 24 hours.

It also revealed that 652,174 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 12,823 were discharged from medical observation.

Meanwhile, another 71,572 close contacts are still under medical observation.

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have reported a total of 133 confirmed cases, with two deaths in Hong Kong and one death in Taiwan, according to the commission.

In Hubei, the center of the outbreak, the total confirmed cases climbed to 65,596 by Wednesday midnight.

The province also reported 26 new fatalities in the past 24 hours, resulting in a total death toll of 2,641, with most in Wuhan.

The commission also reported 2,288 new recovery cases in the province on the same day. And a total of 23,200 patients have been released from the hospital after recovery.