China reports 47 more coronavirus deaths, death toll reaches 2,835

Beijing: China on Saturday (Feb 29) reported 47 more deaths from the new coronavirus, raising the death toll in the country to 2,835.

The National Health Commission also tallied 427 new cases, an increase from the previous day, bringing the total number of infections to 79,251.

One person died in Beijing and another in Henan province, while 45 died in Hubei.

All but four of the new cases were in Hubei, and 420 were in its capital, Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals.

While the number of new cases rose from 327 on Friday, they remain in the hundreds, far below the huge, daily increases that China was recording more than 10 days ago.

The World Health Organisation said earlier this week that there were now more daily cases abroad than in China.

China has placed 56 million people in Hubei under strict quarantine for more than a month and limited crowds across the country in an unprecedented effort to contain the virus.

Officials say the country has made progress against the virus but measures remain in place, including the closure of schools. Businesses have slowly started to reopen.