(Yicai Global) March 3 -- Chinese health authorities said today that it received reports of 125 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 31 deaths yesterday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

All the new deaths reported yesterday were in Hubei province, according to the China's National Health Commission. 

Hubei reported 114 new confirmed cases yesterday.  

Another 129 new suspected cases were reported yesterday, including 64 in Hubei, said the commission.

Also 2,742 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 304 to 6,806 yesterday.

The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 80,151 by the end of yesterday, and 2,943 people had died of the disease.

The commission added that 587 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 47,204 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission said 664,899 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 7,650 were discharged from medical observation yesterday, with 40,651 others still under medical observation.

By the end of yesterday, 100 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including two deaths), 10 in the Macau Special Administrative Region and 41 in Taiwan (including one death).

Some 36 patients in Hong Kong, eight in Macau and 12 in Taiwan have been discharged from hospital after recovery.

Editor: Xia Ruirui