BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest developments on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China:

-- The National Health Commission (NHC) received reports of 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland Friday, of which 17 were imported.

Among the other 10 cases that were domestically transmitted, seven were reported in Heilongjiang Province, two in Guangdong Province and one in Sichuan Province.

-- As of Friday, the Chinese mainland had reported a total of 1,566 imported cases. Of the cases, 709 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, 857 were being treated with 47 in severe condition.

-- Also on Friday, 54 new asymptomatic cases, including three from abroad, were reported on the mainland. A total of nine asymptomatic cases, of which six were imported, were re-categorized as confirmed cases, and 66 were discharged from medical observation including 12 imported cases.

-- By Friday, 1,021 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 45 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 395 in Taiwan including six deaths.

-- No new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in central China's Hubei Province Friday, with no new deaths from COVID-19 reported.

-- The provincial health commission said Hubei had 589 asymptomatic cases under medical observation by Friday, adding that 33 such cases were reported on Friday.

-- Over 500 patients with the COVID-19 have been treated by the plasma of recovered cases so far in Wuhan. The Wuhan Blood Center has collected nearly 380,000 ml of plasma from 1,101 recovered patients for treating COVID-19 patients.

-- Some 3,770 tourist attractions in China have resumed operation and launched online booking access on Trip.com Group, the country's largest online travel agency.

-- Westlake University, a modern private research-oriented university in China, announced Friday to set up a medical research center on prevention and treatment of major infectious diseases.