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

— Chinese health authorities said on Feb 8 that they received reports of 3,399 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 86 deaths on Feb 7 from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

— The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland had reached 34,546 by the end of Feb 7 and 722 people had died of the disease.

— A total of 2,050 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Feb 7, Chinese health authorities announced on Feb 8.

— Pangolins may be an intermediate host of the virus, as indicated by a study led by South China Agricultural University. Researchers found the metagenome sequence of the novel coronavirus strain separated from pangolins to be 99 percent identical to that from infected people.

— Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is in a citywide mobilization to comb communities to ensure every confirmed or suspected patient is located and attended to as a senior official vowed to nail any official deserter "to history's pillar of shame."

— Beijing on Feb 7 published the number of patients suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus for the first time.