Five Chinese prisons have reported novel coronavirus infections (COVID-19) but no severe case or inmate deaths related to the illness as of Thursday, a justice official said Friday.

The prisons are in the provinces of Hubei, Shandong and Zhejiang, said He Ping, an official in charge of the Bureau of Prison Administration of the Ministry of Justice, at a press conference in Beijing.

A number of officials concerned have been sacked, he said.

He pledged all-out efforts to quarantine suspected cases and their close contacts and timely treatment for all of those confirmed of the virus.

Prisons across the country were also ordered to step up monitoring track records of all prison guards and officers to prevent the spread of the virus into prison premises, he added.