Medical staffs treat victim infected with the coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, China. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The vast majority of the deaths were in the provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, according to the daily update from the Hubei health commission.

South Korea reported a total of 104 patients infected with COVID-19 as of Thursday afternoon, with 73 new cases confirmed on Wednesday and Thursday.

 US scientists have created the first 3D map of the part of the new coronavirus that attaches to and infects human cells, a critical step toward developing vaccines and treatments.

Scientists at Zhongshan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai, China, announced that they have developed a test kit that can confirm cases of the novel coronavirus in 10 minutes on average.