Beijing: The total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases on the Chinese mainland has exceeded the total number of SARS cases during its outbreak in 2003, but a senior public health expert said the new virus appears to be less severe than SARS and there is no need for panic.
The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland reached 5,974 as of Tuesday midnight, including 132 deaths, since the outbreak was first reported late December, figures released by the National Health Commission yesterday showed.