As the last COVID-19 patient with severe symptoms was cured on Friday, cases in severe and critical condition in Wuhan, Hubei province have been cleared, according to Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission.

A 90-year-old man surnamed Zhang tested negative for the novel coronavirus at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University on Friday, showing all patients in severe and critical condition were cured in Hubei province, the region hardest hit by the epidemic on Chinese mainland.

Since Jan 28, 21 teams with 2,801 medics, including renowned epidemiologist Li Lanjuan, have poured into the eastern branch of the hospital to support  treatment of patients with severe symptoms.

As of Friday, 1,474 patients have been cured and discharged from the hospital.

The number of current confirmed cases in Hubei fell under 50 for the first time on Thursday. No new confirmed infections or suspected cases have been reported in the province for 20 consecutive days, Mi said.

The Chinese mainland reported six confirmed cases as of Thursday, the lowest daily increase since the epidemic began, according to the commission.