Coughing sputum does not necessarily indicate novel coronavirus infectious pneumonia. The main manifestations of novel coronavirus infectious pneumonia are dry cough, low-grade fever, and malaise, and it is not uncommon for patients to cough sputum. If there is a combination of bacterial infection, coughing and sputum with white or yellow sputum may also occur. If symptoms of cough and sputum are present, sputum culture plus drug sensitivity tests need to be completed promptly for clarification. If the patient has a clear history of exposure, such as contact with infected areas, infected places, or patients with a clear diagnosis, routine blood tests and chest CT tests should be performed promptly for clarification. If the results indicate viral infection and bilateral CT findings suggest hairy glass-like changes, the diagnosis of novel coronavirus pneumonia should be confirmed by further nucleic acid testing.