BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland's number of new confirmed novel coronavirus infection was 24 on Tuesday, down from the peak of thousands a couple of weeks ago, according to the National Health Commission.

Here are some of China's key measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak, including its timely information sharing with other countries:

-- China adopted what a World Health Organization (WHO) expert called an "ancient strategy" for epidemic containment. Specifically, the country asked the public to abide by hygienic practices, wear face masks and keep social distance, took people's temperature in public places and suspended public gatherings.

-- On Jan. 23, Wuhan, the epicenter city of the outbreak, announced traffic control and restriction measures, suspending all urban transportation, including buses, ferries and metro lines, as well as outbound channels to prevent the spread of the pathogen. As of Jan. 29, all provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland had activated top-level emergency responses to COVID-19, canceling mass events, closing scenic attractions and suspending long-distance buses. Now, a number of regions have lowered their emergency response levels according to their local epidemic situation.

-- Two hospitals, namely Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, were built in Wuhan from scratch in days, with a capacity of 1,000 and 1,600 beds respectively, for treating COVID-19 patients. Some public venues were converted into temporary hospitals.

-- China has sent 42,600 healthcare professionals to help battle COVID-19 in Hubei Province, and among them, 19,000 are specialized in intensive care, according to figures unveiled by health authorities.

-- Among China's efforts to better manage and distribute medical supplies, authorities have taken measures to facilitate the passage of vehicles involved in epidemic prevention and control work, including ambulance vehicles, epidemic prevention vehicles and vehicles that transport medical personnel, epidemic prevention drugs, medical devices, and key materials for people's life and production.

-- The WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 said that China's measures on containing the disease had "averted or at least delayed hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 cases in the country."

-- China has shared multiple files on epidemic control as well as diagnosis and treatment plans with over 100 countries and more than 10 international and regional organizations.

-- On Jan. 12, the WHO announced that it received the novel coronavirus gene sequence shared by China.

-- On Jan. 21, China released the specific primers and probes for novel coronavirus detection.

-- China has decided to donate 20 million U.S. dollars to WHO to combat COVID-19.

-- China has provided medical supplies and testing kits to other countries hit by COVID-19, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, and sent medical experts to Iran to aid the anti-virus battle.