January 20, 20206:44 AM EST

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday the country would curb the spread of an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus, state television reported.

“People’s lives and health should be given top priority and the spread of the outbreak should be resolutely curbed,” it quoted Xi as saying.

China had confirmed a total 217 cases of the coronavirus, first discovered in the central city of Wuhan, by 1800 local time on Monday, state TV said.

(Reporting by Colin Qian and Se Young Lee; Editing by Catherine Evans)