BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, the Chinese city hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, had only 181 patients in serious conditions, with 71 being critically ill, as of Monday, dropping from a peak of over 9,000 cases, a health official said Tuesday.

"Notable results have been achieved. However, there are still great difficulties in the treatment of severe patients," Guo Yanhong, the National Health Commission official, said at a press conference, stressing that China has gone all out to save more lives.

The high proportion of elderly patients and patients with multiple diseases have posed challenges to the treatment, Guo noted, adding that some patients also need a longer time to recover due to their unstable conditions.

Highlighting the practice of pooling good medical resources, the official said severe patients are treated at high-calibre hospitals with centralized treatment.

For patients with multiple diseases, coordinated treatment across disciplines has been strengthened, and it is important to reinforce nursing personnel for elderly patients, according to Guo.

Facing increasing imported cases, Guo said more efforts are needed to attend to mild patients and prevent mild symptoms from developing into severe ones, as well as strengthening treatment featuring the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

Meanwhile, personalized treatment plans should also be highlighted to take scientific and targeted measures, Guo said.

The Chinese mainland had reported a total of 983 imported cases as of the end of Monday. Of them, 285 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 698 were being treated with 21 in severe condition, the commission said in its daily report.

Wu Xinjuan, with the Chinese Nursing Association, said COVID-19 patients are prone to psychological problems such as anxiety, fear and helplessness.

Doctors and nurses have been encouraged to communicate with patients and give them confidence by sharing successful stories in treatment, Wu said, adding that patients are also encouraged to talk with their family members and friends via mobile phones to ease anxiety.

"We emphasize the management of COVID-19 patients at every single stage," said Wang Guiqiang, an infectious disease expert with the Peking University First Hospital, when responding to a question concerning people tested positive again after being released from hospitals.

Requirements on follow-up visits and self-quarantine for recovered patients have been clarified in the updated diagnosis and treatment scheme, in a bid to reduce the risk of further transmission outside hospitals, according to Wang.

Patients who have been discharged from hospitals after recovery will still be under observation, Wang said, calling for more efforts from local medical institutions on monitoring and health checkups.