BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Thursday it received reports of 15 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 11 deaths on the Chinese mainland on Wednesday.

Among the deaths, 10 were in Hubei Province and one in Shaanxi Province, according to the National Health Commission.

Meanwhile, 33 new suspected cases were reported, said the commission.

Also on Wednesday, 1,318 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 235 to 4,257.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,793 by the end of Wednesday, including 14,831 patients who were still being treated, 62,793 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,169 people who died of the disease.

The commission said that 253 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

The commission added that 13,701 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Wednesday, 2,206 people were discharged from medical observation.

Six imported cases were reported on the mainland Wednesday. Among them, three were reported in Guangdong Province, two in Gansu Province and one in Henan Province. By the end of Wednesday, 85 imported cases had been reported, said the commission.

By the end of Wednesday, 129 confirmed cases including three deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 10 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 48 in Taiwan including one death.

A total of 67 patients in Hong Kong, 10 in Macao and 17 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.  ■