China records over 14,800 new coronavirus infections in one day

Another 242 people died from the novel coronavirus in Hubei province on Wednesday, and 14,840 new cases were recorded -- a huge spike in confirmed infections.

At least 1,355 people have now died in mainland China from novel coronavirus, with 1,310 deaths in Hubei alone. One person has also died in Hong Kong and another in the Philippines.

A new way of counting cases: The huge rise in confirmed cases comes from a tweak in how the authorities are tallying infections. The government is now including "clinically diagnosed cases" -- i.e. people diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms rather than testing positive -- to make it easier for those patients to access treatment.

The numbers in Hubei: The epicenter of the outbreak has now recorded 48,206 cases. Of those, 33,693 patients have been hospitalized and 1,437 are in critical condition, according to the health authority. Meanwhile, 3,441 patients have recovered and been discharged.

The global tally: The global number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases has now exceeded 60,015, with the vast majority of cases in mainland China.

China’s National Health Commission is expected to release numbers for all of China’s provinces later.

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