BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 18,264 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Thursday, Chinese health authority said Friday.

Thursday saw 2,109 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Thursday, a total of 2,236 people had died of the disease and 75,465 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.