A total of 1,153 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Wednesday, Chinese health authorities said on Thursday.

Wednesday saw 261 people walk out of the hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Wednesday, a total of 563 people had died of the disease and 28,018 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.