630 new novel coronavirus cases reported in Hubei

Hubei province, which is at the heart of the country's novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 630 new confirmed cases on Saturday, including 32 cases from a prison, bringing the total number up to 64,084, according to the province's health commission.

As of Saturday midnight, the new virus has claimed 2,346 lives in the province, and 96 died that day, according to data released by the commission on Sunday morning.

In Wuhan city, the epicenter, the number of confirmed cases saw an increase of 541 on Saturday, rising to 46,201 in total, including 1,856 deaths, according to the commission.

It's followed by Xiaogan and Huanggang, with the number of confirmed cases in the two cities climbing to 3,443 and 2,904, respectively, the commission said, adding that the number in prison stood at a total of 253 as of Saturday midnight.

Five prefecture-level regions in the province reported zero new confirmed cases on Saturday, it added.

The province also reported 1,742 new recovery cases on the same day. By the end of Saturday, 15,299 patients in the province had been released from the hospital after recovery, according to the commission.

A total of 40,127 people sickened by the virus are still under medical treatment in the province, including 8,583 people with serious symptoms and 1,845 in critical condition, the commission said.

Health authorities in the province have traced 234,217 people who had close contact with patients, with 62,787 still under medical observation, according to the commission.