BEIJING -- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a very important role in treating COVID-19 patients in the latest resurgence of the virus in China, a health official has said.

TCM therapy is mainly used to treat patients with common and mild symptoms, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission (NHC), adding that TCM has proved especially effective in improving symptoms such as fever, coughing and fatigue.

By the end of Nov. 12, a total of 1,379 locally transmitted cases had been reported in the latest COVID-19 resurgence that has spread to 21 provinces of China, data from the NHC shows. More than 300 people had been discharged from hospitals following recovery.

TCM has also been applied in the treatment and protection of asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers and close contacts under quarantine, Guo said.

"The principle of combining TCM with Western medicine has been adopted throughout the process from prevention and treatment to recovery," Guo said.