BEIJING, -- The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the National Health Commission said on March 12.

Nine new imported COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, said the commission in its daily report.

One new suspected case arriving from outside the mainland was reported in Shanghai, but no new deaths related to the disease were reported, it added.

On Thursday, eight COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals following their recovery.

By the end of Thursday, a total of 5,124 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 4,947 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 177 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 90,027 by Thursday, including 182 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 85,209 patients had been discharged following recovery on the mainland, and 4,636 had died of the disease.

There was one suspected COVID-19 case on the mainland on Thursday, and 4,594 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Thursday also saw 10 asymptomatic cases newly reported, all arriving from outside the mainland. On the same day, three asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

A total of 244 asymptomatic cases, all arriving from outside the mainland, were under medical observation.

By the end of Thursday, 11,150 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 203 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 48 cases had been reported in the Macao SAR, and 978 cases, including 10 deaths, had been reported in Taiwan.

A total of 10,695 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, 47 had been discharged in the Macao SAR, and 936 had been discharged in Taiwan.