A worker check bottles of disinfectant at a production workshop in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang, Jan 31, 2020. (ZHANG TAO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese health authorities announced Saturday that 11,791 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Friday, and the number of fatalities now stands at 259.

The National Health Commission said in its daily report that 1,795 patients remained in critical condition, and 17,988 people were suspected of being infected with the virus as of the end of Friday.

Friday saw 2,102 new confirmed cases and 46 fatalities - 45 in Hubei province and one in Chongqing municipality

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A total of 243 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

Friday saw 2,102 new confirmed cases, 5,019 new suspected cases, and 46 fatalities - 45 in Hubei province and one in Chongqing municipality.

Also on Friday, there were 268 patients who became seriously ill, while 72 people were discharged from hospital after recovery.

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A total of 136,987 close contacts had been traced, the commission said, adding that among them, 6,509 were released from medical observation on Friday, with 118,478 others still under medical observation.

Besides the 45 fatalities, health authorities of Hubei reported 1,347 new confirmed cases on Friday.

The provincial capital Wuhan reported 576 new confirmed cases and 33 new deaths, and the cities of Huanggang and Yichang reported 153 and 109 new confirmed cases, respectively, according to the Hubei Provincial Health Commission.

Fifty patients were discharged from hospital in the province on Friday.

Hubei had reported 7,153 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection by Friday, with 249 deaths and 956 patients in severe or critical condition. The province has seen 166 patients discharged from hospital.

By the end of Friday, 13 confirmed cases had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, seven in the Macao Special Administrative Region and ten in Taiwan.