(Yicai Global) Feb. 5 -- Chinese health authorities said today that it received reports of 3,887 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 65 deaths yesterday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

All of the deaths are in Hubei province, according to China's National Health Commission.

Hubei reported 3,156 new confirmed cases yesterday.

Another 3,971 new suspected cases were reported yesterday, including 1,957 in Hubei, said the commission.

Also yesterday, 431 patients became seriously ill and 262 people were discharged from hospital after recovery.

The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 24,324 by the end of yesterday and 490 patients had died of the disease, the commission said.

The commission added that 3,219 patients remained in critical condition, and 23,260 people were suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 892 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery by yesterday.

The commission said 252,154 close contacts had been traced. Among them, 18,457 were discharged from medical observation yesterday, with 185,555 others still under medical observation.

By the end of yesterday, 18 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including one death), 10 in the Macau Special Administrative Region and 11 in Taiwan.

Editor: Xia Ruirui