BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua)-Chinese health authority said Sunday it received reports of 573 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 35 deaths on Saturday on the Chinese mainland.

Among the deaths, 34 were in Hubei Province and one in Henan Province, according to the National Health Commission.

Meanwhile, 132 new suspected cases were reported, said the commission.

Also on Saturday, 2,623 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 299 to 7,365.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 79,824 by the end of Saturday, including 35,329 patients who were still being treated, 41,625 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 2,870 people who had died of the disease.

The commission added that 851 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.

The commission said 51,856 close contacts were still under medical observation. On Saturday, 8,620 people were discharged from medical observation.

By the end of Saturday, 95 confirmed cases including two deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 10 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 39 in Taiwan, including one death.

Thirty-three patients in Hong Kong, eight in Macao and nine in Taiwan had been discharged from hospital after recovery.   ■