Full coverage: China fights against novel coronavirus

BEIJING, Feb. 20 -- Chinese authorities Thursday stressed better protecting and caring for medical workers and prompt use of effective drugs to cure patients infected with the novel coronavirus.

Medical workers check patients' information at Jiangxia temporary hospital that mainly adopt Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) to treat the patients in Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Measures that can improve the working conditions of medical workers and ensure their physical and psychological health should be well implemented, according to a high-level meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The meeting of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which is headed by Li, also demanded efforts to ensure the supply of protective gear for frontline medical workers and better benefits such as allowances for them.

The meeting stressed putting effective drugs into wider clinical use to improve treatments and rolling out measures to encourage recovered patients to donate their plasma.

The coordination between epidemic control and economic and social development should be strengthened, with more targeted and precise prevention measures taken to facilitate the resumption of business operation, according to the meeting.

The meeting also asked the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council to better work with Hubei Province and the city of Wuhan, which are at the center of the outbreak, to ensure the supply of life necessities for the residents.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting.