A total of 10,844 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of 16th February, Chinese health authority announced on 17th February.

February 16 saw 1,425 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report, according to the Xinhua news agency. By the end of February 16, a total of 1,770 people had died of the disease and 70,548 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.