A total of 8,096 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Friday, Chinese health authority announced Saturday.

Friday saw 1,373 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Friday, a total of 1,523 people had died of the disease and 66,492 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.