Medical workers collect swab samples for residents at Tianshan District in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 20, 2020. Urumqi is carrying out free nucleic acid tests for all residents and people who are visiting the city, in a bid to screen for novel coronavirus infections and reduce the risk of the epidemic spread.Photo:Xinhua

Different from other areas, half of the confirmed COVID-19 patients in Urumqi city, northwest China, were silent carriers upon being hospitalized, thus timely treatment makes it easier for them to recover, said a medical expert who was dispatched to assist the far-western region to fight the virus. 

Nearly half of the COVID-19 patients in the city didn't show typical symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath; and unlike those found in Wuhan city and Liaoning Province, who did not only suffer from pneumonia, but also other organ impairments like in the heart and kidneys, most patients in Urumqi only suffered from pneumonia, Qiu Haibo, a deputy president of Zhongda Hospital at Southeast University in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, also an expert from the medical treatment group sent to assist Xinjiang under the National Health Commission, told media.

Qiu said that thanks to timely responses by the authorities and prompt medical treatment, the process to recovery was easier for Urumqi patients. 

He noted that Urumqi city initiated nucleic acid testing at an early stage, which helped locate asymptomatic patients before they turned critical. The swift measure helped the region bring the contagion under control.  

Qiu said they combined Chinese traditional medicine with western medicine and imposed categorized treatment to patients at different severity levels. For early stage patients, Qiu emphasized the use of special immune globulin to contain the virus; and used ventilators, ECOM and other equipment on patients in critical conditions. 

Xinjiang reported 45 infections Friday, marking seven consecutive days of declining cases and a sharp drop from the day before, when 112 new infections were reported. As of Thursday, Xinjiang has reported 523 infections, with 31 remaining in critical condition.

Global Times