HONG KONG, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong reported the first patient cured of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) on Wednesday and more could be expected in the coming days.

The 25-year-old man, diagnosed as the COVID-19 early February, has been discharged from the hospital after his respiratory samples were tested negative for the new virus twice, Sara Ho, the Hospital Authority Chief Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management), said at a press conference.

Ho also expects several other patients to be discharged after recovery from the disease soon.

After a new case confirmed on Wednesday, the number of COVID-19 cases increased to 50 in Hong Kong, with one dead, four in critical condition and two in serious condition.

The National Health Commission said Wednesday that the number of cured patients had seen relatively rapid growth in China and the epidemic situation also had some positive changes in general due to the country's reinforced measures against the virus.

The proportion of cured patients in China had increased to 10.6 percent on Tuesday from the lowest 1.3 percent on Jan. 27, and as of Tuesday, a total of 4,740 people had been discharged from hospitals.