国内英语新闻:Chinese mainland reports 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Friday that it received reports of 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Thursday, of which 38 were imported.

Four new domestically transmitted cases were reported, with three in Guangdong Province and one in Heilongjiang Province, the National Health Commission said in a daily report.

One death was reported in Hubei Province on Thursday. A total of three new suspected cases, all from abroad, were also reported.

According to the commission, 85 people were discharged from hospitals after recovery Thursday, while the number of severe cases decreased by 32 to 144.

As of Thursday, the mainland had reported a total of 1,141 imported cases. Of the cases, 408 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 733 were being treated with 34 in severe condition, said the commission.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 81,907 by Thursday, including 1,116 patients who were still being treated, 77,455 people who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,336 people who died of the disease.

The commission said that 53 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

It added that 11,176 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Thursday, 1,823 people were discharged from medical observation.

Also on Thursday, 47 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, including 14 from abroad, were reported on the mainland. A total of 14 asymptomatic cases, all imported, were re-categorized as confirmed infections, and 40 were discharged from medical observation including 15 imported cases, according to the commission.

The commission said 1,097 asymptomatic cases, including 349 from abroad, were still under medical observation.

By Thursday, 973 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 45 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 380 in Taiwan including five deaths.

A total of 293 patients in Hong Kong, 10 in Macao and 80 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery.