"As of midnight on February 7 [16:00 GMT Friday], the National Health Commission received information about 34,546 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus from 31 provinces [regions and municipalities]. 6,101 people are in critical condition, 722 have died, 2,050 people have been discharged from hospitals," the commission said in a statement.

The new strain of coronavirus – 2019-nCoV – was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, located in the province of Hubei, in December and has since spread to more than 25 countries.

Last week, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in light of the outbreak.