Nurses have played an important role in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak and have made great contributions to helping patients recover, according to the National Health Commission.

The country has sent 42,000 medical workers to Hubei province to fight the outbreak and 28,600 of them are nurses, Guo Yanhong, an official with the commission, said at a daily news conference on Saturday.

They have worked at makeshift hospitals, quarantine wards and ICU wards and their care for the patients have greatly contributed to the recovery of patients, Guo said.

Guo Na, deputy director of the nursing department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said the country has sent more than 5,500 nurses in intensive care to Hubei province, accounting for almost half of all intensive care nurses in the country.

Patients with severe symptoms usually have multiple complications and organ failure, which require complicated treatment and medical care, she said.

The job requires highly skilled nurses, close observation of patients' conditions and close cooperation between nurses and patients, she said.

After their meticulous care, many patients have shown better symptoms and higher spirit, she added.

The ratio of the cumulative number of cured COVID-19 patients to the total mortality across China expanded to 13.8:1, showing a continuous rise in recovery rate, said Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the commission.

A total of 39,002 coronavirus patients have recovered on the Chinese mainland by the end of Friday, and the number has surpassed remaining confirmed cases for the first time, according to the commission.