BEIJING — Treatment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has continuously shown effectiveness in China as more patients are discharged from hospital after recovery, a health official said on March 5.

As of March 4, the number of patients discharged from hospitals across the country was 17.3 times the total number of deaths, whereas the ratio on Feb 1 stood at 1.08, said Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission.

The commission said in its daily report that a total of 52,045 patients had been discharged from hospital by the end of March 4 while 3,012 people in total had died of the disease in the same period.

"This shows epidemic prevention and control efforts in the country have continued to show a positive trend," Mi said.

He also urged high-level medical teams to fully play their roles and improve treatment for patients.