BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua)-Chinese health authority said Thursday that it received reports of 10 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland Wednesday, of which six were imported.

The other four new cases were domestically transmitted, the National Health Commission said in a daily report, noting that three cases were reported in Heilongjiang Province and the other one in Guangdong Province.

No death or suspected case was reported Wednesday on the mainland.

According to the commission, 56 people were discharged from hospitals after recovery Wednesday, while the number of severe cases dropped by 15 to 63.

As of Wednesday, the mainland had reported a total of 1,616 imported cases. Of the cases, 823 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 793 were being treated with 37 in severe conditions, said the commission.

No deaths from the imported cases had been reported, it added.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 82,798 by Wednesday, including 959 patients who were still being treated and 77,207 people who had been discharged after recovery, the commission said.

Altogether 4,632 people had died of the disease, it said.

The commission said that 20 people, including 16 from abroad, were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

It added that 8,429 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Wednesday, 824 people were discharged from medical observation.

Also on Wednesday, 27 new asymptomatic cases, including one from abroad, were reported on the mainland. Three domestic asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases, and 31 people, seven of whom were from abroad, were discharged from medical observation, according to the commission.

The commission said 984 suspected asymptomatic cases, including 166 from abroad, were still under medical observation.

By Wednesday, 1,033 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 45 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 426 in Taiwan including six deaths.

A total of 678 patients in Hong Kong, 26 in Macao and 236 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery.  ■