A doctor in Beijing warned that the novel coronavirus could attack the central nervous system, as shown in a rare case.

A 56-year-old novel coronavirus patient known to have encephalitis was discharged on Wednesday from Beijing Ditan Hospital -- a major battleground for the SARS outbreak in 2003, according to hospital authorities.

The patient, admitted on Jan 24, was the first among some 150 coronavirus patients the hospital has treated since Jan 12, the hospital said.

Liu Jingyuan, the doctor in charge of the patient, said therapists should consider the possibility that novel coronavirus has attacked the central nervous system if patients show dysfunction of consciousness.

Novel coronavirus patients who have shown nervous disorders were relatively rare compared with respiratory and cardiac complications, the hospital said.