The Chinese mainland has confirmed on Saturday more than 2000 new cases of the novel coronavirus with 142 more deaths.

Till now, total 1666 persons have died in China due to novel coronavirus and The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 68584.

While over 550 cases in over two dozen countries and 3 deaths have been reported from abroad, 1 each in Japan, France and Philippines.

An elderly Chinese tourist hospitalized in France has died of the coronavirus, becoming the first fatality in Europe.

Central China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, confirmed 139 more deaths and 1843 new confirmed cases, including 888 clinically confirmed, on Saturday, bringing the total number in the province to 56249.

New confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outside Hubei Province have been dropping for 12 consecutive days.