Beijing (Agencies): The death toll from China's coronavirus epidemic jumped to 1,868 on Tuesday after 98 more people died.
Nearly 72,500 people nationwide have been infected by the new COVID-19 strain of the virus, which first emerged in December before spiralling into a nationwide epidemic.
According to the National Health Commission, There were 1,886 new cases reported Tuesday — a decline on Monday's figure, and the lowest single-day figure of new cases so far this month.
Most of the deaths were in Hubei province, the hard-hit epicentre of the outbreak, with five reported elsewhere in the country.
Hubei has been locked down to try to contain the virus, with tens of millions of people placed under effective quarantine in the province.
However, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the trend "must be interpreted very cautiously".
"Trends can change as new populations are affected. It is too early to tell if this reported decline will continue. Every scenario is still on the table," he told reporters on Monday.
