BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 22,888 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Saturday, Chinese health authority said Sunday.

Saturday saw 2,230 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Saturday, a total of 2,442 people had died of the disease and 76,936 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on Chinese mainland.