Photo:Xinhua

Chinese health authorities announced that at least 1, 355 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) had been reported in the country as of 5:40 pm Beijing time on Saturday.

The pneumonia situation had resulted in 41 deaths, including 39 in central China's Hubei Province, one in north China's Hebei Province and one in Heilongjiang Province, according to the National Health Commission.

A total of 1,965 suspected cases have been reported in 20 provincial-level regions, according to the commission.

A total of 15, 197 close contacts have been traced, the commission said, adding that among them, 13, 967 are under medical observation while 1,230 others have been discharged.

Overseas, four cases had been confirmed in Thailand, with two of them already cured. Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, France and Vietnam had confirmed two cases each, with Singapore confirming three. One case was confirmed in Nepal. 

A new case of the novel coronavirus was reported in northern China's Tianjin Municipality at 8 pm Friday. It is the eighth case of Novel coronavirus-related pneumonia confirmed by the local government. 

The 39-years-old male is a crew member at the city's high speed rail's passenger service section. It was reported that he went to Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease, for a business trip before falling ill. The patient is being treated in isolation in hospital and is in stable condition.

Tianjin confirmed early Friday that three crew members in the same workshop of high speed rail department were infected by the virus. 

Experts said that the city is now facing the clustered cases of viral pneumonia. It rings alarm for the disease prevention and control system in the city.