南通 苏通

Recovered patients thank medical workers at Nantong No 3 People's Hospital on March 3. [Photo/ntjoy.com]

The last three patients of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, were released from hospital on March 3.

By that day, there had been a total of 40 COVID-19 cases confirmed in the city, all of whom had fully recovered. No medical workers have been reported to be infected.

The city has also had no newly confirmed COVID-19 cases for the past 18 days.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, the local government has spared no effort to prevent and control the spread of the disease.

A municipal-level panel of medical experts was formed on Jan 19, with 24 members coming from top local hospitals.

Nantong No 3 People's Hospital set up initial quarantine areas within just three hours after first being assigned to admit coronavirus patients on Jan 20, and another 48 hospitals also set up fever clinics to treat patients soon afterwards.

The city has dispatched more than 100 doctors and nurses to treat patients in Hubei province since late January, and many essential supplies, including drugs, protective items, and food, have also been sent to the epicenter of the outbreak.