(Yicai Global) Mar. 5 -- Chinese health authorities said today that it received reports of 139 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 yesterday were in Hubei province, according to the China's National Health Commission. 

Hubei reported 134 new confirmed cases yesterday.  

Another 143 new suspected cases were reported yesterday, including 67 in Hubei, said the commission.

Also 2,189 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 464 to 5,952 yesterday.

The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 80,409 by the end of yesterday, and 3,012 people had died of the disease.

The commission added that 522 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 52,045 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission said 669,025 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 6,584 were discharged from medical observation yesterday, with 32,870 others still under medical observation.

By the end of yesterday, 104 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including two deaths), 10 in the Macau Special Administrative Region and 42 in Taiwan (including one death).

Some 43 patients in Hong Kong, nine in Macau and 12 in Taiwan have been discharged from hospital after recovery.

Editor: Xia Ruirui