The death toll from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China surpassed 560 as of Wednesday night, in spite of the country's all-out efforts to contain the spread of the virus. 

According to China's National Health Commission, as of 12 a.m. Thursday, the overall death toll for the country soared to 563, with 28-thousand-18 confirmed cases. 

The number of deaths and confirmed cases across the nation increased by 73 and three-thousand-694, respectively, in a day.  

It is the first time over 70 people died of the respiratory disease in one day since the Chinese agency began compiling related data on January 20th. 

Of the latest figures, 70 deaths were reported in Hubei province, where ground zero for the coronavirus, Wuhan, is located.