WUHAN — All but three cities in Hubei province on March 5 reported zero new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with some having kept the zero record for 12 days.

Fourteen of the 17 cities and prefectures in the central province did not report any new confirmed cases, according to the latest report by the provincial health commission, suggesting the virus is subsiding outside the hardest-hit city of Wuhan, the provincial capital.

On March 5, Wuhan reported 131 new confirmed cases, and the cities of Ezhou and Huangshi added two and one respectively.

According to calculations, Hubei has seen more than 11 cities and prefectures not register new confirmed cases since Feb 27.

On Feb 21, Yichang became the first city in Hubei to reach zero new confirmed cases. Shennongjia Forest District and the city of Xianning have not reported any new infections for 12 days, the longest such streak among all cities in the province.

Meanwhile, patients discharged after recovery have greatly outnumbered the province's new infections in recent days. On March 5, 1,923 patients were discharged in Hubei, and patients still being treated were numbered at 20,765, down from 41,036 on Feb 21.

The health commission has said Hubei will gradually shut down temporary hospitals and cut the number of hospitals designated for the disease as situations improve, while maintaining strict prevention and control measures.