MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. The number of people in Russia infected with the novel coronavirus has increased by 21 over the past 24 hours reaching 114, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at a meeting with members of the government chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"A total of 114 infected people in 26 regions of the country have been registered to date. Of these, five have recovered and were discharged [from the hospitals] and 109 are in hospitals, 106 of whom are having a mild form of the disease without any symptoms," Golikova informed.

Golikova added that 104 cases were imported, while ten people contracted the virus during contacts with infected individuals. She noted that the infection was not spreading throughout the country, and those who contracted the virus during contacts with infected persons shared residence with those who came from countries with an unfavorable coronavirus situation.

The current coronavirus disease was registered in central China at the end of December 2019. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. COVID-19 infection cases have been recorded in more than 160 countries. According to the latest data, over 180,000 people have contracted the virus globally, about 7,500 of them have died.