Beijing: The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in China has risen to 1,523, while the number of confirmed cases has reached 66,492, the country's National Health Commission announced on Saturday. 2,641 new cases of confirmed infections were reported through Friday, while 1,373 patients were released from hospitals through the day after being cured, the Health Commission said.

As many as 139 people died on Friday in Hubei province -- the epicenter of the outbreak which reported the first case of the new strain of coronavirus in December, last year. The virus has since then spread to several countries across the world, including India.