URUMQI, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been continuously promoting traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), authorities said.

TCM played an important role in the fight against COVID-19, including in the treatment of patients in severe condition and for those on their way to recovery, the regional health commission said.

Xinjiang has been cultivating TCM experts, with two educational institutions having turned out more than 2,100 TCM professionals.

TCM has also gained steam at the grassroots level, with 792 TCM clinics built across the region, including 131 in communities and 661 in villages and townships, according to the commission.