Latest tally shows 648 new confirmed cases on Chinese mainland

A total of 648 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 97 new fatalities were reported Saturday on the Chinese mainland, bringing the two numbers up to 76,936 and 2,442, respectively, according to the National Health Commission.

With the majority of new confirmed cases coming from Central China's Hubei province, where the epidemic is the most severe, the rest of the country only saw 18 new infections on Saturday, with 21 provincial-level regions reporting zero new cases, according to data released by local health commissions.

Despite a spike on Thursday, mostly caused by a rash of cases in prisons, the daily reported infections in regions outside Hubei maintained the downward trend. On Friday, 31 new cases were reported outside Hubei on the Chinese mainland.

A total of 882 suspected cases were reported on the same day, bringing the total number of suspected cases on the mainland to 4,148 as of Saturday midnight, the commission said on Sunday morning.

The country has seen 2,230 new recovery cases on Saturday, it said, adding that a total of 22,888 people have been discharged from the hospital on the mainland as of Saturday midnight.

The number of confirmed cases rose to 69 in Hong Kong, including two deaths and 11 recovery cases, 10 in Macao, including six recovery cases, and 26 in Taiwan, including one death and two patients discharged from the hospital, the commission said.

Health authorities on the mainland have traced 628,517 people in close contact with patients, with 106,089 still under medical observation, according to the commission.