Cured novel coronavirus pneumonia patients cheer for themselves in a hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Li He)

A total of 1,540 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Thursday, Chinese health authorities announced Friday.

Thursday saw 387 people walk out of the hospital after recovery (184 in Hubei), the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

By the end of Thursday, a total of 636 people had died of the disease and 31,161 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China.