BEIJING — The situation on the containment of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in Hubei, the hard-hit Chinese province, has been gradually improving, according to an official with the National Health Commission.

NHC spokesperson Mi Feng made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Feb 19, citing the epidemic data in the province over the past week.

The daily count of newly cured and discharged cases in Hubei, excluding the capital city of Wuhan, has exceeded the number of newly confirmed cases for four consecutive days as of Feb 19, said Mi.

He also noted that the number of newly confirmed cases has decreased significantly since Feb 13 in the province, and the increase in the cumulative number of confirmed cases has remained flat.

On Feb 18, 1,693 new confirmed cases were reported in Hubei, including 1,660 in Wuhan. The number of the daily new confirmed cases in the province was 4,823 on Feb 13.

Of the 1,266 newly cured and discharged cases in Hubei on Feb 18, 676 were in Wuhan.

It shows that with the implementation of various prevention and control measures and the strengthening of incoming medical support, the epidemic situation and the recovery rate in Hubei has been improving, said Mi.

However, 11,246 Hubei patients are still in severe condition, with 9,562 in Wuhan.

China saw 56 new confirmed cases outside Hubei on Feb 19, while new confirmed cases outside the province had been dropping for 15 consecutive days, said Mi.