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

— China reports 2,641 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 143 deaths on Feb 14 from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

By the end of Feb 14, a total of 1,523 people had died of the disease and 66,492 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported on the Chinese mainland.

— A total of 8,096 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Feb 14. China saw 1,373 people walk out of hospital after recovery on Feb 14.

— Hubei province, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 2,420 new confirmed cases and 139 new deaths on Feb 14. The figure of new cases included 1,138 clinically diagnosed cases, while the new deaths also included 34 who were clinically diagnosed.

Wuhan, the provincial capital, recorded a total of 37,914 confirmed cases, including 14,953 clinically diagnosed ones. The city reported 1,923 new infections and 107 new deaths on Feb 14.

— Henan reported two new deaths, and Beijing and Chongqing reported one new death, respectively, on Feb 14.

— The city of Xiaogan, one of the hardest-hit cities in Hubei, asked all residential communities and areas to start close-off management starting on Feb 14. All residents will not be allowed to exit and re-enter their communities or residential areas. Daily necessities for residents will be delivered by the community committees, and purchasing services will be provided for urgently-needed goods.

— Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) universities and hospitals across China have sent 2,220 medical workers to Hubei province to help combat the novel coronavirus outbreak.

— The city of Huanggang, one of the hardest-hit cities in Hubei, is converting a section of a maternal and child care service centre into an emergency hospital. An estimated 400 hospital beds will be put into use by Feb 15.