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The number of cases of the novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland has surpassed 81-thousand.
Over 5,000 of them are still being treated, while more than 72-thousand others have been discharged after recovery.
46 new confirmed cases on the mainland were reported on Saturday.
National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng says most of them were imported from abroad.
"From 12 a. m. on Saturday to 12 a. m. on Sunday, 45 new confirmed cases imported from abroad were reported, including 14 in Shanghai, 13 in Beijing, seven in Guangdong, four in Fujian, two in Jiangsu, and one each in Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and Sichuan, respectively."
So far, more than 300 imported cases of infection have been reported on the Chinese mainland.
The only new indigenous case reported on the mainland on Saturday was in Guangdong, involving a person who was in contact with one of these imported cases.
A top World Health Organization expert says it will take at least a year to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.
WHO Executive Director Mike Ryan urged governments to put in place strong public health measures to prevent a resurgence of coronavirus outbreaks in the future.
"If we don't put in place strong measures, strong public health measures now, when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted the danger is that the disease will jump back up. We need to actively search for cases of the virus and we need to test very single suspect case. We don't need to test everybody. We need to focus on testing those who may have the virus."
A number of countries have introduced drastic restrictions including travel bans, school closures and stay home orders to fight the coronavirus spread.
Ryan says China, Singapore and South Korea have provided a model for other countries, where restrictions were coupled with rigorous measures to test suspected infection cases.
The Iranian health ministry says nearly 17 hundred people in the country have died of COVID-19.
Officials also say over 21 thousand have been infected with the novel coronavirus and close to eight thousand have recovered.
Earlier, the Iranian authorities ordered the closure of commercial centers, except convenience stores and pharmacies.
Iran is one of the countries hardest-hit by the virus.
China sent a five-member expert team to Tehran at the end of February to help control and prevent the spread of the virus.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has held a briefing on measures to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
Merkel will go into quarantine herself after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her tested positive for the virus.
Merkel says federal and state authorities have agreed to extend the measures intended to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
"The federal government and the federal states have agreed to extend the guidelines regarding the behaviour and freedom of movement, which are applicable to everyone. We therefore consistently reduce public life and social contacts, and we make sure that the same rules apply across the country."
The new country-wide measures include reducing the contact between people not sharing a household.
German states have imposed varying levels of lockdown, causing a debate about which measures are appropriate to contain the virus.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul has become the first member of the upper chamber to test positive for the coronavirus.
A post on his official Twitter account stated that he is feeling fine and is in quarantine.
The Republican Senator's tweet further says he's asymptomatic and that he was tested as a precaution due to his extensive travel and events.
Last week, two members of the house–Republican Mario Diaz-Balart and Democrat Ben McAdams — tested positive for the virus.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the country's confirmed COVID-19 cases have surpassed 31-thousand with 390 deaths.
Airport authorities in San Francisco say major Chinese airlines are resuming limited flights between China and the US city.
The airlines include Air China, China Eastern and China Southern.
Air China's Beijing route is back in operation, though its frequency has not yet been finalized, and China Southern is once again flying between Guangzhou and San Francisco. China Eastern will resume a daily Shanghai flight on March 29.
Airport officials say although these airlines are resuming limited service, all travel advisories, restrictions on entry, and arrival screening procedures remain in effect.
