The death toll due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China has increased to 2,788, while the number of confirmed cases has risen to 78,824, according to the health authorities said on Friday.

Chinese health authorities said that it received reports of 327 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 44 deaths on Thursday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Xinhua reported.

Among the deaths, 41 were in Hubei Province, two in Beijing and one in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, according to China’s National Health Commission.

452 more suspected cases were reported on Thursday, said the commission.

On Wednesday, Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed its first two cases of the novel coronavirus as the deadly infection reached the country despite hectic efforts to keep it away.

On Thursday, 3,622 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 394 to 7,952.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 78,824 by the end of Thursday, and 2,788 people had died of the disease.

Earlier on Thursday, Masoumeh Ebtekar, Irans Vice President for Women and Family Affairs has announced that she has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.

She tested positive after showing symptoms the previous day during a cabinet meeting, according to state TV.

Iran has reported 26 deaths from the deadly disease and 245 cases total with a dramatic surge of 106 new infections registered on Thursday, the Health Ministry said.

Tehran authorities have decided to close down schools and universities in the country to curb the spread of the disease.

After China, South Korea has emerged as the biggest centre of Coronavirus with 161 more reported coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the nationwide total to 763.  The country has seen a rapid surge in the number of coronavirus cases, adding more than 700 cases in less than a week, since a cluster of infections emerged from a religious sect in the southern city of Daegu.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday raised the country’s virus alert to the highest “red” level, in a bid to strengthen the government response to the spiralling outbreak. The government has extended kindergarten and school holidays by one week nationwide and plans to enforce tighter two-week monitoring of arrivals from China.

In 2003, 299 Hong Kongers were killed by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) — 40 per cent of the global total fatalities.

Hubei Province, a centre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 411 new confirmed cases and 115 new deaths on Thursday, according to the provincial health commission on Friday.

The novel Coronavirus outbreak has caused alarm as it has crossed global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic.

(With inputs from agency)