SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China reported 108 new coronavirus deaths on Feb. 10, the highest daily increase so far, and up from 97 on the previous day, the health authority said on Tuesday.

Of the new deaths, 103 were in the province of Hubei, including 67 in the provincial capital of Wuhan where the epidemic is believed to have originated.

The other fatalities on Monday were in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Anhui and Henan and the cities of Tianjin and Beijing, the National Health Commission said.

The total toll on the mainland has now reached 1,016.

The commission said there were another 2,478 new confirmed cases on the mainland on Feb. 10, down from 3,062 on the previous day and bringing the accumulated total to 42,638.

During a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, a group of leaders tasked with beating the virus said it would work to solve raw material and labor shortages and boost supplies of masks and protective clothing.

They said nearly 20,000 medical personnel from around the country had already been sent to Wuhan, and more medical teams were also on the way.

On Monday, China’s President Xi Jinping also appeared in public for the first time since the epidemic began, inspecting health workers in Beijing.