Death toll from coronavirus in China reaches 3,042

Pic/AFP

The death toll from coronavirus in China reached 3,042 with the number of people infected with a deadly virus in the country increased to 80,552 on Friday.

"The National Health Commission received information about 80,552 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus from 31 provinces [regions and municipalities], including 23,784 currently ill people. 5,737 people are in critical condition, 3,042 have died, 53,726 people have been discharged from hospitals," the commission said in a statement.

Within the past 24 hours, 143 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed and 30 people have died of the disease.

The novel coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan, China's Hubei province, in late December 2019, and has since spread worldwide. In late January, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in light of the epidemic.

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