BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Monday it received reports of 40 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 22 deaths on Sunday on the Chinese mainland.

Among the deaths, 21 were in Hubei Province and one in Guangdong Province, according to the National Health Commission.

Meanwhile, 60 new suspected cases were reported, said the commission.

Also on Sunday, 1,535 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 153 to 5,111.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,735 by the end of Sunday, including 19,016 patients who were still being treated, 58,600 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,119 people who had died of the disease.

The commission said that 421 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

The commission added that 20,146 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Sunday, 3,802 people were discharged from medical observation.

Also on Sunday, four imported cases of novel coronavirus infection were reported on the mainland, all of which were in Gansu Province. By the end of Sunday, 67 imported cases had been reported, said the commission.

By the end of Sunday, 114 confirmed cases including three deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 10 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 45 in Taiwan including one death.

Fifty-nine patients in Hong Kong, 10 in Macao and 15 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.  ■