(Yicai Global) Mar. 2 -- Chinese health authorities said today that it received reports of 202 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 42 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 196 new confirmed cases yesterday.  

Another 141 new suspected cases were reported yesterday, including 80 in Hubei, said the commission.

Also 2,837 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 255 to 7,110 yesterday.

The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 80,026 by the end of yesterday, and 2,912 people had died of the disease.

The commission added that 715 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 44,462 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission said 663,240 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 8,154 were discharged from medical observation yesterday, with 46,219 others still under medical observation.

By the end of yesterday, 98 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including two deaths), 10 in the Macau Special Administrative Region and 40 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