Central China's Hubei province has confirmed 29,631 cases of the novel coronavirus as of Sunday, the provincial health commission said on Monday morning.

The number of confirmed infections in Hubei increased by 2,618 on Sunday, and the death toll rose by 91 on the same day, according to a statement on the commission's website.

By the end of Sunday, 871 people had been killed by the highly contagious pneumonia, and 1,795 patients had been cured and released from hospital.

Currently 22,160 people are receiving hospitalization in Hubei. Among them, 4,269 patients have serious symptoms and another 1,236 are in critical condition, the commission added.

There are 18,438 people in Hubei who are suspected of infection of the coronavirus, and 14,388 of them have been sent to temporary hospitals for further examination.

So far, provincial health authorities have traced 132,555 people who had close contact with infected cases. A total of 73,127 are under medical observation, according to the commission.

In Wuhan, epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, 1,921 new infections were confirmed on Sunday, increasing the number of patients to 16,902 in the provincial capital. Seventy-three patients died.