'Turning point' emerges in Zhejiang's battle with virus

A turning point has emerged in parts of East China's Zhejiang province in its fight against the novel coronavirus, a top health official said.

Zhang Ping, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, said 33 counties within Zhejiang have reported no new cases for two consecutive days, accounting for 36.7 percent of the whole province.

"This shows a turning point has emerged in part of Zhejiang, with most areas to follow suit in the upcoming days," he said.

Zhejiang reported 132 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus as of midnight on Jan 29, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the province to 428.

Among the newly confirmed cases, 18 were in Hangzhou, 58 in Wenzhou, 24 in Taizhou and 21 in Ningbo.

So far, a total of 7,629 people are currently under close medical observation throughout the province.

In Hangzhou, two 24-hour telephone hotlines were launched to provide psychological counseling services and promote knowledge on anti-novel coronavirus practices to residents.

The city reported 18 new confirmed cases as of midnight on Jan 29, bringing the total number of confirmed patients to 69.