Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission's medical supervision and administration department. [Photo/NHC Weibo]

Strong measures have been taken to treat senior COVID-19 patients in recent outbreaks in Hebei and Liaoning provinces, a senior health official said on Jan 13.

Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission's Medical Supervision and Administration Department, said 30 percent of COVID-19 patients in North China's Hebei and 37 percent of those in Northeast China's Liaoning are older than 60 and many have underlying conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.

The commission has dispatched national-level experts to work with local experts, and early intervention and monitoring have been provided to prevent mild patients progressing to severe cases, she said.

For severe COVID-19 patients, each patient has a team of multidisciplinary experts working out specific treatment plans for COVID-19 and other underlying diseases, she said.

The commission has allocated 30,000 ml of blood plasma of patients who are in the process of recovery to help treat patients in each of the two provinces, she added.