BEIJING — A total of 12,552 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Feb 17, Chinese health authority said on Feb 18.

Feb 17 saw 1,701 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Feb 17, a total of 1,868 people had died of the disease and 72,436 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.