According to the NHC, 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland as well as the Xinjiang region reported 508 new cases of confirmed infections, 530 new cases of suspected infections, and 71 deaths.

2,589 patients were released from hospital after being cured. 15,758 people who had had close contact with infected patients were freed from medical observation. Serious cases decreased by 789.

The National Health Commission had received 77,658 reports of confirmed cases and 2,663 deaths in 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland and the Xinjiang region and in all 27,323 patients had been cured and discharged from hospital. There still remained 47,672 confirmed cases, including 9,126 in serious condition) and 2,824 suspected cases. So far, 641,742 people have been identified as having had close contact with infected patients. 87,902 are now under medical observation.

The first confirmed death was a 61-year-old man on 9 January 2020 who was first admitted to a Wuhan hospital on 27 December 2019.

On the other hand, 27 deaths from coronavirus have occurred outside of mainland China, most of those involving people who had a direct link to the country.

The first death outside China occurred in the Philippines, when a 44-year-old Chinese male citizen developed severe pneumonia and died on 1 February. His companion, a 38-year-old Chinese female citizen was also confirmed to have contracted the virus, but eventually recovered. She stayed in the same hospital in Manila as her companion until her discharge on 8 February. On February 8, it was announced that a Japanese and an American died from the virus in Wuhan. They were the first non-Chinese killed by the virus.

The first death outside Asia was confirmed in Paris, France, on February 15, when an 80-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei died after being in hospital since 25 January. On February 19, two elderly Japanese citizens who had been on the Diamond Princess died after being hospitalized for a week after they had tested positive for the virus, while a third elderly Japanese citizen died on February 23.

A 78-year-old Italian man in Veneto died on February 21, while on the following day a 75-year-old woman died in Lombardy. An Italian woman died on February 23 in Lombardy.

Iranian officials confirmed the twelfth coronavirus related death in the country, out of 61 confirmed cases.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan city, Central China, in December 2019. It is believed to have originated from wild animals, passing to humans due to the wildlife trade and wet markets. The virus spread to other China provinces in early and mid-January 2020, helped by the Chinese new year migration.

WHO declared the new coronavirus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 31. (ILKHA)