23 patients in Beijing cured of virus, released from hospitals

Twenty-three patients infected with novel coronavirus pneumonia in Beijing were discharged from eight designated hospitals on Tuesday, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.

Among the discharged patients, 10 are male and 13 are female. The eldest recovered patient is 75 years old with the youngest just two, said Gao Xiaojun, spokesman of the commission, during a daily news briefing held in Beijing to combat the virus.

By midnight Tuesday, six new novel coronavirus cases had been confirmed in Beijing and all six had close contact with previously confirmed patients who had already been sent to designated medical institutions for further treatment.

The commission also announced 58 new suspected cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of suspected cases in Beijing to 145. Meanwhile, 108 people who had close contact with confirmed cases were added on Tuesday, and all 2,075 people confirmed to have had close contact were under quarantine and medical observation.

As of the end of Tuesday, 393 novel coronavirus cases had been confirmed in Beijing with 145 being released from the hospital, four deaths and 20 in critical conditions.