The novel coronavirus epidemic situation in East China's Zhejiang province is expected to recede, a top health official in Zhejiang said on Sunday.

Sun Liming, deputy director of the provincial health commission, said with all the control and prevention measures in place, and most homecoming residents from Hubei before the Spring Festival passing their disease incubation period, the rapid rising in the number of novel coronavirus cases in the province will be kept under control, with its peak gradually falling after Feb 8, Lantern Festival.

Within the province, 21 counties have reported no new cases for three consecutive days, and 50 counties reported no new cases on Saturday, accounting for over half of the total so far.

The province has 90 counties, or county-level areas.

Zhejiang is the second most severely-hit area, next to Hubei. The province has so far reported 661 confirmed cases, with 23 cured and discharged from hospitals.