The number of new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland saw an uptick on Saturday as a result of an influx of imported cases, statistics from the National Health Commission show.

A total of 99 new confirmed cases were reported on Saturday, bringing the number up to 82,052, along with zero deaths, the commission said on Sunday.

With two locally transmitted cases occurring in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, the rest of the 97 infections were all imported cases, bringing the tally to 1,280 as of Saturday midnight, the commission said.

Of the 1,280 imported cases, 799 patients were still under treatment, including 36 severe cases, while 481 patients had been discharged from the hospital after recovery by the end of Saturday, with no deaths reported.

Also on Saturday, 50 people were discharged from the hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 2 to 139. A total of 77,575 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery as of Saturday midnight.

With another 49 new suspected cases reported Saturday, a total of 82 people, all imported ones, are still suspected of being infected with the virus, it added.

Health authorities said 9,722 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Saturday, 1,534 people were discharged from medical observation.

The Chinese mainland also reported 63 new asymptomatic cases on Saturday, along with 55 discharged from medical observation. So far, a total of 1,086 asymptomatic patients infected with the virus are still under medical observation, 332 of whom were detected from overseas travelers, according to the commission.

By the end of Saturday, 1,000 confirmed cases, including four deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong, 45 confirmed cases in Macao, and 385 in Taiwan, including six deaths. And 336 patients in Hong Kong, 10 in Macao and 99 in Taiwan have been discharged from the hospital after recovery.

Central China's Hubei province, the hardest-hit region on the Chinese mainland, reported zero local transmitted cases and zero new fatalities on Saturday.

The province also saw 17 patients discharged from the hospital after recovery on Saturday, bringing the total number of discharged patients in the province to 64,281, it said, adding that Hubei had no suspected cases as of Saturday midnight.