BEIJING — A total of 16,155 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Feb 19, Chinese health authority said on Feb 20.

Feb 19 saw 1,779 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Feb 19, a total of 2,118 people had died of the disease and 74,576 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.