ROME, March 1. /TASS/. The number of the novel coronavirus cases in Italy has reached 1,694. As many as 34 patients have died, chief of Italy’ Civil Protection Department Angelo Borrelli said on Sunday.

"By now, we have 1,694 infected people, with about 51% of them being quarantined at home. It means than they show no symptoms of the disease," he said, adding that 34 patients have died and more than 80 have recovered. According to Borrelli, nine percent of the coronavirus patients are currently kept in intensive care departments.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple foci.

Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from 55 other countries, including Russia. According to the latest update, the number of confirmed cases of the disease has exceeded 79,200, with more than 2,800 people killed by this coronavirus. More than 39,000 have recovered.