North China's Shanxi province has been integrating Chinese and Western medicine to treat the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic with an overall effective rate of around 90 percent, according to a provincial Chinese and Western medicine video conference on joint treatment of the epidemic held on Feb 12. 

As of midnight on Feb 11, the use rate of traditional Chinese medicine decoctions and Chinese patent medicine for confirmed cases of the virus in Shanxi had reached 98.4 percent, officials said. 

Among patients receiving integrated Chinese and Western medicine, 97 had taken more than three days of traditional Chinese medicine with 29 cured, 58 seeing improved symptoms and the others in stable condition. 

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Shanxi immediately integrated the resources of Chinese medicine. It prepared medical supplies, established and improved provincial, city and county-level Chinese-Western medicine cooperation mechanisms -- and sent out traditional Chinese medicine experts to serve in designated hospitals for virus infection diagnosis and treatment in 11 local cities.

According to the needs of designated hospitals, provincial experts were also organized to conduct joint guidance of Chinese and Western medicine in Jinzhong, Lyuliang, and Yuncheng cities. 

Traditional Chinese medicine experts Wang Xixing and Jia Liujin were sent to key areas to provide guidance to ensure that severe and critical cases were treated in a timely manner. 

In addition, Shanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine used traditional Chinese medicine on all confirmed and suspected cases based on the individual situations. 

It also guided close contacts of confirmed cases to take Chinese medicine decoctions or Chinese patent medicine in advance, to reduce the incidence of disease. 

Officials said that all practices had proved that traditional Chinese medicine had obvious effects in improving symptoms such as fever, dry coughs and fatigue. The also helped improve autoimmunity, protecting organs, as well as shortening the course of disease, promoting healing and reducing hormone side effects. 

Shanxi province will next advocate that medical institutions treating infected patients further improve an integrated Chinese and Western medicine medical consultation system.