A senior Beijing official cited Saturday a group of figures to justify the marked improvements in the situation of sever acute respiratory syndrome in Beijing.

A comparison of figures collected in the first week of May and those in the latest week excluding Saturday showed the significant progress made, Cai Fuchao, the city's publicity head, said at a press conference on the SARS situation in Beijing.

The total number of new probable SARS cases in the first week was 666, compared with 65 in the latest week, down more than 90 percent, Cai said.

The total number of people who had recovered and been discharged from hospitals was 81 in the first week, compared with 547 in the latest week, up 500 percent.

And in recent weeks all SARS patients had been hospitalized, Cai added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2003)