Beijing publishes suspected cases of novel coronavirus infection

Beijing on Friday published the number of patients suspected to be infected with the novel coronavirus for the first time.

As of Thursday, Beijing reported 157 suspected cases and 297 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection, said Gao Xiaojun, spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, at a press conference.

Among the 297 confirmed cases, 147 are males and 150 are females, accounting for 49.5 percent and 50.5 percent of the total number of patients, respectively. Their ages range from nine months to 94 years old, with 11 cases under five years old.

To help curb the spread of the epidemic, Beijing also revealed the residential communities where the patients newly confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus live or places they had been.