Spread of COVID-19 has been contained in China: health director

China announced Tuesday it has basically blocked the spread of the novel coronavirus within the country, with the city Wuhan as the main battlefield, reaching a significant milestone in prevention and control of the epidemic.

By March 31, more than 63,000 COVID-19 patients in Central China's Hubei Province recovered and been discharged from hospital, with a recovery rate of over 93 percent, said Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, at a State Council press conference in Hubei Province.

Among the more than 42,600 medical workers from across the country who went to support Hubei, none has been infected with the coronavirus, Ma said.

After the central steering group for the COVID-19 epidemic was stationed in Wuhan on January 27, it has been prioritizing saving the patients while promoting prevention and control among communities at the same time, said Ma.

A patient of novel coronavirus pneumonia bows to medical staff after being discharged from Huainan First People's Hospital, east China’s Anhui province, March 6. He is one of the last three patients discharged from the hospital. Photo by Chen Bin, People’s Daily Online