BEIJING — Most of the more than 50,000 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in China who have recovered and been discharged from hospital received traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment, a health official said on March 9.

Yu Yanhong, deputy head of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told a press conference that the combination of TCM and Western medicine in COVID-19 treatment has been proved effective by the huge number of recovered patients.

TCM has been involved in the treatment of 74,603 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, accounting for 92.5 percent of the total, according to official data.

Compared with those only treated with TCM or Western medicine, an expert team confirmed that the integrated treatment of TCM and Western medicine can more quickly improve the symptoms such as fever, cough and fatigue, as well as effectively reduce the chances of mild and regular symptoms developing into severe or critical ones, so as to improve the recovery rate and reduce the mortality rate.

TCM treatment focuses on improving the body's natural defenses against an epidemic and its own ability to repair itself while maintaining the overall balance, Yu said.

TCM clinical treatment is personalized and targeted based on the differences in geography, climate and a patient's physical condition, said Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission.

A circular issued by the commission also encouraged the promotion of effective TCM treatment plans at the community-level epidemic prevention and control, giving full play to the unique role of TCM.