COVID-19 death toll in China reaches 1,380, over 63,800 people infected -- Authorities

Photo: Aidan Marzo/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire/dpa

BEIJING, Feb 14 -- The number of people who have been infected with COVID-19 across China has reached 63,851, with 1,380 patients having died, Sputnik news agency quoted the National Health Commission on Friday.

"As of midnight on February 13 (16:00 GMT Thursday), the National Health Commission received information about 63,851 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus from 31 provinces (regions and municipalities), including 55,748 currently ill people. 10,204 people are in critical condition, 1,380 have died, (and) 6,723 people have been discharged from hospitals," the commission said in a statement.

The commission explained the inconsistency with previous figures with an error in statistics, gathered from the province of Hubei, where 108 fatalities were counted twice.

COVID-19 – the name given for the new coronavirus strain – was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, located in the province of Hubei, in December and has since spread to more than 25 countries. Last week, the World Health Organisation declared a global health emergency in light of the outbreak.

--BERNAMA