WUHAN — The rapid rise in the novel coronavirus cases in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province and the epicenter of the epidemic, has been contained, China's health official said on Feb 28.

Liang Wannian, head of the Chinese expert panel on outbreak response and disposal, said at a press conference on Feb 28 that Wuhan is the center of the outbreak and also the worst-hit city.

However, the number of daily new confirmed infections, new suspected cases, the proportion of severe and critical cases of confirmed cases, and the mortality rate have been declining, he said.

"These four figures indicate that the epidemic is being effectively controlled," Liang said.