Taipei, June 5 (CNA) No new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were reported in Taiwan on Friday, leaving the total number of cases at 443 since the pandemic emerged late last year, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Friday was also the 54th consecutive day with no domestically transmitted infections, according to CECC statistics. The last time Taiwan recorded a domestic infection was April 12.

At a daily press briefing, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, who also heads the CECC, said that even though the lack of new domestic cases reflects the stability of the situation in Taiwan, people should stay vigilant.

"We keep reminding people to wear masks, frequently wash their hands and maintain a safe social distance. But maintaining personal hygiene is also very important in virus prevention, which is why we keep reminding the public to do so," Chen said.

To date, 352 of Taiwan's 443 cases of COVID-19 have been classified as imported, while 55 are believed to be local infections, according to CECC statistics.

The other 36 cases were on board a naval vessel that was on a goodwill mission in the Pacific in March, a cluster infection the CECC says originated in Taiwan.

The last time Taiwan recorded an imported infection was on June 1, a woman in her 50s, who went to the United States in March for work and returned to Taiwan on May 31.

To date, 429 COVID-19 patients in Taiwan have recovered, seven have died and the others remain in hospital, the CECC said.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected 6,611,220 people in 187 countries and regions, including 1,904,337 in the United States, 584,665 in Brazil, 441,108 in Russia, 281,661 in the United Kingdom and 240,660 in Spain, with a total of 389,219 fatalities, according to CECC statistics as of Friday.