Han Tianqi, 98, a distinguished astronomer, is discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 15, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Han Tianqi, 98, a distinguished astronomer, was discharged from a hospital in Wuhan on Wednesday after recovering from novel coronavirus disease, a Chinese news portal reported.

According to thepaper.cn, Han will stay home for a certain period of time for observation. His wife also was infected with the highly contagious virus and was released from the hospital before him.

The couple was confirmed with novel coronavirus infection in mid-February and sent to a local hospital in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, which was hit hard by the virus, the report said, adding they developed serious symptoms at the hospital and were later transferred to intensive care units.

In mid-March, Han and his wife tested negative and were allowed to leave the hospital. Considering their age and health conditions, the couple and their family decided that they should receive rehabilitative treatment at a hospital and therefore were transferred to another hospital.

Han's granddaughter told thepaper.cn that Han is in good condition but still needs to be closely monitored, as per doctors' instructions.

Han is known for his academic achievements in geodetic astronomy and astrogeodynamics.