Subway passengers wear masks in Shanghai Tuesday. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Novel coronavirus in the urine and feces of infected patients could jeopardize the ambient environment and transmit to others through aerosols, Chinese National Health Commission alerted the public in its updated seventh version of treatment plan for the novel coronavirus released on Wednesday.

The treatment plan was updated on the basis of its sixth version released on February 18, which said that aerosol transmission is possible after long-time exposure in highly concentrated aerosols containing the novel coronavirus in confined spaces. The latest treatment plan warned of the risk of aerosol transmission from the infected patients' urine and feces since the novel coronavirus can be found in the urine and feces of infected patients.

The new version of the treatment plan for the novel coronavirus includes pathologic change on the infected patients' major organs according to recently conducted autopsies and biopsies. 

The results found the novel coronavirus not only causes damage on patients' lungs, but affects their spleen, bone marrow, heart, blood vessels, liver, gallbladder, kidney and other organs.

The treatment plan also included serodiagnosis result as a standard to diagnose the infection of COVID-19, and added standards to screen severe and critical cases for children.

The National Health Commission also reiterated giving play to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and reinforcing integrating Western medicine and TCM in treating the novel coronavirus infected patients.