34 recovered patients leave cabin hospitals

Thirty-four patients who had recovered from novel coronavirus pneumonia at two makeshift cabin hospitals in Wuhan were released on Tuesday.

"The healthy return of these patients means a lot for local people who were scared by the virus. You can see that we can treat patients with mild symptoms effectively and efficiently. There is no need to panic," said Wan Jun, president of the cabin hospital and vice-president of People's Hospital of Wuhan University.

After strict medical examinations, 28 patients with NCP, from a makeshift cabin hospital in Hongshan Gymnasium in Wuchang district of Wuhan met the medical requirements and went home on Tuesday afternoon.

Six patients were also discharged from the makeshift cabin hospital at the Wuhan International Exhibition and Convention Center in Jianghan district on Tuesday morning.

The 28 patients in Wuchang were treated for three to five days in the cabin hospital that started operation on Feb 5. The youngest patient was 25 years old and the oldest 69.

Most of the patients were about 60 years old. Women outnumbered men 2-to-1, according to the hospital.

From the night of Feb 5 to Tuesday morning, 537 patients with mild NCP were admitted to the cabin hospital, which has 120 doctors and 400 nurses.

"We make every effort to ensure that patients survive and that medical staff avoid infection," Wan said.

The hospital is also striving to maintain the supply of drugs, especially those related to the treatment of patients' underlying diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

"They took good care of me inside the hospital, and I exercise regularly, so I can recover quickly," said 60-year-old patient Yang Wanli.

Ma Yonggang, the medical team leader of the Wuchang cabin hospital, said that the patients are still relatively weak and should rest and eat properly.

"All patients should be isolated at home for 14 days in strict accordance with the medical standard and avoid getting infected again," Ma said.

The hospital reminded the patients to have their lungs checked in one month.

During the isolation period, patients should see a doctor in a timely manner if they feel uncomfortable.

At present, another 437 patients with mild illnesses are still receiving treatment at the hospital.

Han Jianyu and Liu Yingchun contributed to this story.