Coronavirus outbreak: China's president praises Wuhan medical workers

China's president on Tuesday visited city of Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, telling officials and medical workers that despite the periodical success in fighting the epidemic, it is not time to relax yet.

Xi Jinping's trip - his first since the start of the outbreak - came as parts of his country returned to normalcy, and was a sign of the diminishing threat the illness presents in China as it spreads west.

During the visit, Xi made a stop at an emergency response hospital where he met with medical workers and talked to a patient through video communication.

Xi also visited Wuhan residents under quarantine at home and chatted with local officials, community workers and volunteers.

The visit came as the country recorded just 19 new cases of the virus on Tuesday.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World  Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered