BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 9,419 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Saturday, Chinese health authority announced Sunday.

Saturday saw 1,323 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Saturday, a total of 1,665 people had died of the disease and 68,500 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.