New suspected coronavirus cases in China drops for second consecutive day

Medical staff members leaving lunch boxes on the ground for patients to avoid cross infection at a quarantine zone in Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak, in China's central Hubei province.- AFP

BEIJING (Xinhua): The number of new suspected cases of the novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland dropped for the second consecutive day on Tuesday (Feb 4), according to figures from the National Health Commission.

The commission said Wednesday (Feb 5) it received reports of 3,971 new suspected cases on Tuesday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, compared with 5,072 cases reported on Monday and 5,173 on Sunday.

Of the 3,971 new confirmed cases, 3,156 were reported in central China's Hubei province with 65 new deaths on Tuesday, said local health authorities on Wednesday.

The provincial capital Wuhan reported 1,967 new infections and 49 new deaths, and the cities of Xiaogan, Huanggang, Huangshi, Xiangyang and Jingzhou reported 342,223,104,103 and 100 new confirmed cases, respectively, according to the Hubei Provincial Health Commission.

Authorities discharged 125 patients from the hospital in the province on Tuesday.

Hubei had 16,678 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection by Tuesday, with 479 deaths and 2,520 cases in severe or critical condition. The province has seen 520 patients discharged from hospital. - Xinhua