Wuhan hospital head sounds optimistic note

The head of the hospital central to Wuhan's efforts to treat coronavirus patients said on Thursday that "another outbreak on this large scale (was) unlikely."

Zhang Dingyu, chief of Jinyintan Hospital, spoke to reporters during a press tour organized by the local publicity department.

Zhang added that the virus will not disappear and that sporadic cases mean that "now we need to have a ward or an area to deal with this disease."

Restrictions in the city where a great number of China's over 82,000 virus cases and over 3,300 deaths from COVID-19 were reported have been gradually eased in recent weeks as the number of new cases steadily declined.

Wuhan's unprecedented lockdown was a model for countries trying to stop the coronavirus.

With the restrictions ending, Hubei's provincial capital begins another experiment: resuming business and ordinary life while preventing more transmission of the illness.

The city's 11 million residents are now permitted to leave without special authorization as long as a mandatory smartphone application powered by a mix of data-tracking and government surveillance shows they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.

While questions have been raised about the veracity of China's count, the unprecedented lockdown of Wuhan and Hubei has been assumed successful enough for other countries to adopt similar measures.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.