27 new COVID-19 cases on mainland; 17 imported, 10 local

The Chinese mainland reported 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, of which 17 were imported, the National Health Commission said on Saturday.

The other 10 new cases were domestically transmitted, it said in a daily report, noting that seven cases were reported in Heilongjiang province, two in Guangdong province and one in Sichuan province.

So far, the mainland has reported a cumulative number of 1,566 confirmed COVID-19 cases imported from abroad, with 709 discharged from hospital, according to the commission.

It now has 857 confirmed cases and 58 suspected cases imported from abroad. Among the 857 imported cases, 47 are in severe condition, it added.

No deaths were reported Friday on the mainland. Five new suspected cases, all imported ones, were also reported, with three in Shanghai and two in Heilongjiang

Fifty people were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the day, and the number of severe cases decreased by four, it said.

As of Friday, there were 1,058 confirmed cases, including 85 in severe condition on the Chinese mainland. The number of suspected cases was 63, while that of those cured and discharged from hospitals reached 77,029. A total of 4,632 people have died of the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

The commission also said that of the 723,835 people that have been traced as close contacts with the infected, 8,893 are still under medical observation.

In Hubei, the hardest-hit province of China, no deaths or confirmed cases were reported on Friday and seven people were discharged from hospitals after recovery on Friday. The province now has 122 cases, all in its capital city of Wuhan. Of the 122 patients, 27 are in severe condition. The province has no suspected cases at present.

The commission said 54 asymptomatic cases were reported on Friday, three of which were imported from abroad. Nine asymptomatic cases turned into confirmed ones on the day. There are 1,017 people with the virus but showing no symptoms who are under medical observation.

By the end of Friday, 1,021 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in Hong Kong, 45 confirmed cases in Macao and 395 in Taiwan including six deaths. Meanwhile, 532 patients in Hong Kong, 17 in Macao and 166 in Taiwan had been cured and discharged from hospital.