The first confirmed patient of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in Haimen, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, has made a full recovery and was released from the hospital on Feb 12. 

The 53-year-old surnamed Cai used to work at a construction site in Hanyang district, Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. He returned to Haimen by train several days before the start of the Spring Festival.  

"I seldom went out when working in Wuhan. So I guess it was at the crowded Hankou Railway Station where I was infected," said Cai. 

He experienced a cough with a body temperature of 37.4 degrees on Jan 25 and immediately went to the hospital. 

"Getting treatment and reporting where I had been as early as possible was the best way to protect myself and the people around me," said Cai. 

"Of course I was worried at first. But the encouragement and careful treatment from doctors and nurses gave me the confidence to keep fighting," he added. 

He sent messages to his family every day and tried to keep himself from feeling down. 

"I also started eating a healthy diet to improve my immune system," said Cai. 

He had passed strict examinations and tested negative for the virus twice before leaving the hospital. But he must still be quarantined at home for 14 days in strict accordance with medical standards and to avoid getting infected again.