Residents collect their purchases at Lidao Garden in Hongshan district, Wuhan. WANG JING/CHINA DAILY

After paying inspection visits to some Chinese cities, including Wuhan, World Health Organization officials have praised the "ambitious, agile and aggressive" control measures taken by China to contain the epidemic.

They said the measures, bolstered by nationwide solidarity and advanced scientific research, had altered the "curve of the outbreak "for the better, averted a large number of potential cases and provided experience in improving the global response to the disease.

Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the director-general of the WHO and head of its foreign experts panel, said at a news conference in Beijing that measures such as mass isolation, shutting down transportation and mobilizing the public to follow hygienic practices have proved effective in curbing a contagious and mysterious disease, especially when the whole of society is committed to such action.

"This approach of all-of-government and all-of-society is very old-fashioned, but it has averted and probably prevented at least tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of cases," he said. "It is extraordinary.

"To the people of Wuhan, it is recognized that the world is in your debt," he said, adding that when the outbreak is over, hopefully there will be a chance to thank them for the role they have played.

The situation in Wuhan is improving, with the number of new cases each day declining and thousands of patients confirmed with the disease being discharged from hospitals after they recover. However, both Peng and Tian said they remain vigilant about the disease.

Tian said: "We will keep fighting until the war against the epidemic is fully won. We must be careful about the health of residents in our community."

Peng said that when the outbreak is over, the first thing she wants to do is to switch off her mobile phone and sleep soundly.