A Qidong resident surnamed Zhou has recovered and been released from the hospital after suffering from the novel coronavirus pneumonia for nearly 20 days. [Photo/WeChat account: qdrmt0513]

After being infected with the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) for nearly 20 days, a Qidong resident surnamed Zhou made a full recovery and was released from the hospital on Feb 10. He was the first confirmed NCP patient in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu province.

Zhou was confirmed to be infected with the NCP on Jan 24, and five people who had been in close contact with him were quarantined at home. Luckily, Zhou made a full recovery after careful medical treatment.

Xue Feng, vice president of the Second People's Hospital of Qidong, was the first doctor to diagnose Zhou. Upon hearing of his recovery, Xue went to Nantong No 3 People's Hospital, where Nantong's NCP patients are admitted, and discharged Zhou from the hospital.

Zhou said he was afraid and worried at first, but the encouragement and careful treatment from doctors and nurses gave him the confidence to keep fighting.

"The medical workers are hard at work and have to check every patient several times a day," Zhou said. "Now my battle is over, but they still have a long fight ahead of them."

Zhou's parents have been released from quarantine and were excited to see their son. As a safety precaution, Zhou is not allowed to live with his parents until he completes a 14-day quarantine period.

His son, daughter and mother-in-law are still under quarantine, and his wife is receiving treatment at the Third People' Hospital of Qidong. They send messages to encourage each other every day.