SHANGHAI -- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a positive role in the prevention and control of COVID-19, and TCM treatment will continue to be utilized at temporary hospitals, the Shanghai municipal government said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The utilization rate of TCM for COVID-19 cases in Shanghai has remained above 98 percent, according to Fang Min, president of the city's Shuguang Hospital. Fang said that preliminary clinical data shows that TCM has a unique advantage in accelerating the discharge rate and blocking progression.

Shanghai has been sending multiple TCM medical teams to designated hospitals and quarantine sites since the beginning of the latest resurgence.

A medical team from the Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine has been receiving patients at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, the largest temporary treatment center in Shanghai, since April 2.

The team is composed of members from various departments, including respiratory medicine, cardiovascular medicine, neurology, acupuncture and moxibustion, and massage and rehabilitation medicine characterized by non-drug therapy.

According to the latest WHO Expert Meeting on the Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of COVID-19, promising data suggests that TCM is beneficial in reducing the risk of progression from mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19 to severe cases.

As of Tuesday, more than 21 million preventive TCM medicines have been distributed to Shanghai residents.