BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 36,000 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals, accounting for 45.9 percent of the total confirmed cases, a health official said Friday.

Of the over 8,400 cured cases that have been analyzed, mild and common cases accounted for 90.8 percent, with severe cases taking up 7.2 percent and critical cases accounting for 2 percent, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission at a press conference Friday.

The average age of patients with mild symptoms is 43, and that of severe and critical patients is 53, Guo said, adding that patients with basic diseases, even severe ones, can be well cured through strengthened treatment.

Guo pointed out that 85 percent of the patients were treated with antiviral therapy, and nearly 40 percent of the patients received treatment combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

"For patients with mild symptoms, general treatment is often adopted," she added.

The COVID-19 virus infection is characterized by sudden and rapid deterioration in a small number of mild cases, which means all patients should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible, said Wang Guiqiang, director of the infectious diseases department of the Peking University First Hospital.

"There exists a misunderstanding that COVID-19 is a self-limited disease, so it does not require treatment, which is wrong," he said, calling on people to go to hospitals once infected with the virus to avoid the risk of deterioration and further spread of the disease.