BEIJING — The COVID-19 epidemic in Hubei province, the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has been gradually brought under control, according to an official with the National Health Commission.

NHC spokesperson Mi Feng made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Feb 19, citing the epidemic data in the province over the past week.

The daily count of newly cured and discharged cases in Hubei, excluding the capital city of Wuhan, has exceeded the number of newly confirmed cases for four consecutive days as of Feb 19, said Mi.

He also noted that the number of newly confirmed cases has decreased significantly since Feb 13 in areas besides Wuhan, and the increase in the cumulative number of confirmed cases has remained flat.

It shows that with the implementation of various prevention and control measures and the strengthening of incoming medical support, the epidemic situation in Hubei has been brought under control and the recovery rate has continuously improved, said Mi.

On Feb 19, 1,693 new confirmed cases were reported in Hubei, including 1,660 in Wuhan. In the meantime, of the 1,266 newly cured and discharged cases, 676 were in Wuhan.