Beijing gives updated coronavirus numbers

Beijing reported 17 novel coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the confirmed total to 156 as of midnight Friday, the capital's health authorities said.

The confirmed new cases in Beijing are aged 6 to 82, with eight females and nine males according to the Beijing Health Commission.

Of the confirmed 156 novel coronavirus cases, one has died and five have been released from hospitals. Another 150 patients have been quarantined for medical treatment at designated local hospitals.

For better response, a real-time medical consultation platform came online Saturday afternoon, providing 24-hour consulting for residents.

Medical experts also advised the public to be self-examined one to two times through the online platform to reduce the risk of being infected.

Dong Jiahong, executive president of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, told Beijing News that in winter and spring, various respiratory diseases similar to coronavirus have a high incidence.

This greatly increases the risk of infection among the population not infected with the novel coronavirus and potentially intensifying the spreading of the epidemic, said Dong, adding self-tests can help residents better diagnose themselves before going to a doctor and thereby curb the spread of the disease.