China sees steady increase of patients recovering from coronavirus infection

China has seen a steady increase in the number of patients recovering from novel coronavirus infections since Jan. 30, according to health authorities on Friday.

A total of 1,540 infected people have been cured and discharged from hospitals as of Thursday in China's battle against the virus, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission at a press conference.

An expert analysis was commissioned by authorities on more than 500 cured cases, including both cases with mild symptoms and severe cases. Some even had complicated conditions, Guo said.

The average hospitalization time of the more than 500 cured patients is about 10 days, she noted.

While summing up the treatment methods for the cured patients, experts have noted that some antiviral treatment methods, including both symptomatic treatment and supportive therapies, especially the use of traditional Chinese medicine, have produced good effects, Guo said.

"We will actively sum up the experience and continuously integrate the methods into the diagnosis and treatment guideline to guide the clinical treatment of patients and greatly improve the cure rate," she said.

Wang Guiqiang, director of the infectious disease department under the Peking University First Hospital, said data from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, showed that severe cases, even critically ill patients, can be cured through reasonable and active treatment.

"This has greatly boosted our confidence," he said at the same press conference, expressing his belief that the recent reinforcements of health professionals, especially intensive care staff, will greatly help improve the cure rate and reduce the fatality rate of severe cases.