The death toll from the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak surged to 2,000 on Wednesday.
Chinese and international health officials warned against excessive measures to contain the epidemic.
More than 74,000 people have now been infected by the virus in China, with hundreds more cases in some 25 countries.
The situation remains serious at the epicentre, with the director of a hospital in the central city of Wuhan becoming the seventh medical worker to die of COVID-19 illness.
But Chinese officials released a study showing most patients had mild cases of the infection, and World Health Organisation officials said the mortality rate was relatively low.
Source: AFP