BEIJING — China has stepped up efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as a growing number of confirmed cases of infections have been reported. Here are the latest developments:

— China has mobilized 20 mobile hospitals from across the country to Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, to treat patients with mild symptoms. Those modular hospitals will arrive in the city starting on Feb 4.

— China on Feb 3 launched a research program to evaluate the clinical value of traditional Chinese medicine combined with Western medicine in the prevention and treatment of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.

— Most patients that have been infected with the novel coronavirus only show mild symptoms, Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission, said at a press conference.

— The current case fatality rate of the novel coronavirus infection on the Chinese mainland has dropped to 2.1 percent.

— Zhang Qin, full-time deputy director of the Hubei branch of the Red Cross Society of China, has been removed from office for dereliction of duty in the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic.

— China will maintain mobile phone services as well as power and gas supplies for people with overdue bills during the novel coronavirus control period, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

— There have been no new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection reported in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region by the end of Feb 3 after Tibet reported its first case on Jan 30.

— The first batch of patients infected with novel coronavirus is being transferred to Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital, which was delivered on Feb 2 after a 10-day construction in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province.

— A total of 447 patients confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus have been transferred to a special hospital for treatment in the city of Huanggang, Hubei province.

— Wuhan plans to convert three existing venues, including a gymnasium and an exhibition center, into makeshift hospitals to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus.

— A one-month-old baby girl was among the new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Feb 3, the provincial health commission said Feb 4.

— By the end of Feb 3, 20,438 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang production and Construction Corps in China, and 425 people had died of the disease.

— A total of 632 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Feb 3.