Beijing, March 17 The death toll due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China has increased to 3,226, authorities said on Tuesday, while the number of confirmed cases in the Asian country has risen to 80,881.
Chinese health authorities reported 21 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 13 deaths on the Chinese mainland, Xinhua reported.
Of the deaths, 12 were in Hubei Province and one in Shaanxi Province, according to the National Health Commission.
Meanwhile, 45 new suspected cases were reported, said the commission.
Also on Monday, 930 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 202 to 2,830.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,881 by the end of Monday, including 8,976 patients who were still being treated, 68,679 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,226 people who died of the disease.
The commission said that 128 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.
The commission added that 9,351 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Monday, 1,105 people were discharged from medical observation.
Twenty imported cases were reported on the mainland Monday. Among them, nine were reported in Beijing, three in Shanghai, three in Guangdong, and one in Zhejiang, Shandong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Shaanxi respectively. Until midnight, 143 imported cases had been reported, said the commission.
Until midnight, as many as 157 confirmed cases including four deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 11 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 67 in Taiwan including one death.
A total of 88 patients in Hong Kong, 10 in Macao and 22 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.
( With inputs from IANS )