BEIJING — China has stepped up efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Here are the latest developments:

— The registration for clinical trials on the antiviral drug Remdesivir has been approved, and the first batch of pneumonia patients infected by the novel coronavirus are expected to start taking the drug on Feb 6.

— The first makeshift hospital converted from an exhibition center in epidemic-hit Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, began accepting patients on Feb 5.

— Wuhan had set up 132 quarantine sites by Feb 4, providing over 12,500 beds to cope with the surging number of patients confirmed or suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

— Kunming Dounan Flower Market, the largest fresh cut flower trading market in Asia, suspended service from Feb 6 amid epidemic outbreak.

— Chinese health authorities said on Feb 6 it received reports of 3,694 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 73 deaths on Feb 5 from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.