Virus deaths in China top 2,500

The number of deaths in China from the novel coronavirus has risen by 150 to 2,592 on the mainland, with the total number of confirmed infections reaching 77,150, the country's health authorities said Monday.

Among the new deaths in the 24 hours to the end of Sunday, 149 occurred in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the public health crisis, and one in the southern island province of Hainan, according to the National Health Commission.

Over the weekend, a team of experts from China and the World Health Organization visited Wuhan, Hubei's provincial capital which has borne the brunt of the coronavirus infections and deaths, according to local media.

The experts inspected hospitals there during their visit, including a sports center that was converted into a temporary hospital, the reports said.