BEIJING -- China's medical insurance has covered 1.232 billion yuan (about $176 million) of the treatment cost of COVID-19 patients by July 19, accounting for 67 percent of the total cost, an official said Tuesday.

During the period, medical bills of 135,500 inpatients, confirmed or suspected, were settled by medical insurance, said Xiong Xianjun, an official with China's National Healthcare Security Administration.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, authorities adjusted medical insurance policies to enable COVID-19 patients to get treatment with delayed settlement of accounts.