On 31 March, at a press briefing held in Wuhan, Hubei by the State Council Information Office, Ma Xiaowei, member of the central command group based in Hubei and Minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), noted that local transmission of the COVID-19 virus in China, including in the main battlefield of Wuhan, has been basically cut off, marking a significant progress in China's outbreak response. More than 63,000 patients in Hubei have been cured and recovered, bringing the cure rate to over 93%.

According to Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the Medical Administration Bureau under the NHC, there are still nearly 1,500 COVID-19 patients in Hubei, over 1/3 of whom are severe or critical cases and treatment of patients remains the top priority. By transferring severe and critical cases to well-resourced hospitals, stepping up life support and multi-organ support therapies, and improving intensive monitoring and care, and by stationing top experts there, the cure rate of severe and critical cases has been raised from 14% to 88%.

Yu Xuejun, member of the central command group and Vice Minister of the NHC, stressed that given the rapid spread of the virus worldwide, while maintaining sound response at home, it is crucial to prevent case import with a seamless chain of control measures, covering the entire process from prior to inbound arrivals, to points of entry, and to doorsteps.