Death toll in China from coronavirus reaches 3,122

BEIJING

The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 3,122 Monday, according to the National Health Commission.

Authorities said 22 people died in the last 24 hours while 40 new cases were found, pushing up the total number of confirmed cases to 80,735.

At least 20,146 people are currently under medical care, and the number of discharged patients stands at 58,600.

It was earlier announced that 16 makeshift hospitals established in Hubei province – the outbreak's epicenter – would be gradually closed due to insufficient capacity.

Outside mainland China, the number of cases rose to 114 in Hong Kong, while it was reported as 10 in Macau.

First detected in Wuhan city in Hubei in December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to more than 80 other countries.

The global death toll is around 3,800 with more than 110,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries including China, Iran and Italy.

After declaring the outbreak an international health emergency in January, the WHO last month updated the global risk level to “very high.”