Proportion of severe COVID-19 cases drops significantly: official

Medical staff treat a 14-month-old baby infected with the novel coronavirus in an ICU isolation ward of Wuhan Children's Hospital in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 27, 2020.(Wuhan Children's Hospital/Handout via Xinhua)

**Differentiated measures ensure that a large number of mild cases are treated in time, reducing the possibility of becoming severe cases: official
**

BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The proportion of severe and critical cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among all confirmed cases has decreased significantly in China, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday.

In Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, the proportion of severe cases among the confirmed cases fell from a peak of 32.4 percent on Jan. 28 to 21.6 percent on Feb. 15, said Mi Feng, a spokesperson with the NHC, at a press conference in Beijing.

The proportion in other parts of Hubei Province dropped from a peak of 18.4 percent on Jan. 27 to 11.1 percent on Feb. 15, said Mi.

The percentage in other provinces in China also decreased significantly, falling from a peak of 15.9 percent on Jan. 27 to 7.2 percent on Feb. 15, Mi added.

"These changes have proven the current epidemic prevention and control measures are effective," said Mi.

The authorities and medics are carrying out differentiated measures on the patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, close contacts of the confirmed cases, and fever patients, the spokesperson said.

"The differentiated measures ensure that a large number of mild cases are treated in time, reducing the possibility of becoming severe cases," said Mi.