Recovery rate jumps to 10.6 percent, with new infections continuing to fall

The cure rate for novel coronavirus pneumonia patients on the Chinese mainland jumped to 10.6 percent on Tuesday from a low of 1.3 percent on Jan 27, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.

The battle against the epidemic remained tough, but positive signs had appeared recently thanks to a series of forceful measures to contain the virus' spread, commission spokesman Mi Feng said.

The number of daily new infections and new suspected cases -- telling signs of the outbreak's development -- had both been decreasing for days, he said.

On Tuesday, 2,015 new confirmed cases were reported on the Chinese mainland, down by 48.2 percent from the peak of 3,887 on Feb 4, Mi said.

The number of new suspected cases on Tuesday -- 3,342 -- was down 37.3 percent from the peak of 5,328 on Feb 5, he said.