The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in mainland China has reached 80,894, the Chinese health authorities said on Wednesday. The death toll has risen to 3,237, and over 69,600 people have recovered.
As of Tuesday, 13 new cases and 11 new deaths were registered. 922 patients were discharged from hospitals.
"The state health committee received from 31 provinces (districts, cities of central subordination) information about 80,894 confirmed cases of infection with the new type of coronavirus, including 8,056 people currently sick (2,622 people are in serious condition), 69,601 people have been discharged from hospitals, 3,237 have died", the committee said.
Out of 13 new cases, 12 were incoming: three came from Beijing, one from Sichuan province, three from Shanghai, and five from Guangdong province.
In Hubei province, the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, only one additional case was registered on Tuesday.
Chinese scientists have already begun recruiting volunteers for clinical trials of a vaccine against the new virus.
Globally, a total of 179,112 coronavirus cases have been registered so far, while the death toll has reached 7,426, according to the latest data provided by the WHO.