Chinese health authorities announced on Tuesday that 4,515 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been reported in 30 provincial-level regions by the end of Monday. A total of 106 people died of the disease.

 

The National Health Commission said in its daily report that 976 patients remained in critical conditions, and 6,973 people were suspected of being infected with the virus as of the end of Monday, said a Xinhua report.

 

A total of 60 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

 

Monday saw that 1,771 new confirmed cases, 2,077 new suspected cases and 26 deaths -- 24 in Hubei Province, one in Beijing and one in Hainan Province. Also on Monday, 515 patients became seriously ill and nine people were discharged from hospital after recovery.

 

A total of 47,833 close contacts had been traced, the commission said, adding that among them, 914 were discharged from medical observation on Monday, with 44,132 others still under medical observation.

 

By the end of Monday, eight confirmed cases had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, seven in Macao Special Administrative Region.

 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday inspected efforts to prevent and control the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province.

 

Li extended regards to the medical workers at the frontline on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. He urged local authorities to spare no effort in the epidemic prevention and control work, which is of paramount importance, reducing both the incidence rate and mortality rate to safeguard people's lives and health.

 

Upon arriving in Wuhan, Li went to the Jinyintan Hospital which has the largest number of infected and severely ill patients. He talked to medical workers in an ICU via a video call and then chatted with doctors and nurses coming from across the country and the military, urging them to go all out in treating the patients and pay attention to their own protection.

 

He ordered sending more medical personnel, especially nurses, and medical supplies to Wuhan. Li called for speeding up the construction of Huoshenshan Hospital, a makeshift hospital for treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus, while visiting the construction site.

 

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and colleagues are in Beijing to meet with government and health experts supporting the response, WHO said.

 

The mission’s aim is to understand the latest developments and strengthen the partnership with China, in particular for the response.

 

It said current estimates of the incubation period of the virus range from 2 to 10 days, and these estimates will be refined as more data become available. Understanding the time when infected patients may transmit the virus to

others is critical for control efforts. Detailed epidemiological information from more people infected is needed to determine the infectious period of 2019- nCoV, in particular whether transmission can occur from asymptomatic

individuals or during the incubation period.