China's Hubei to expand supply of medical equipment

A press conference is held by the Information Office of Hubei Provincial People's Government in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

Central China's Hubei Province has been working to expand local supplies of medical equipment as it battles the novel coronavirus that infected over 1,000 in the province, according to local authorities.

The province will spend 80 million yuan (11.56 million U.S. dollars) on expanding the production capacity in the city of Xiantao, a major local medical equipment manufacturing base, said Wang Xiaodong, governor of the province.

It is estimated that the daily production of protective suits will be expanded to 12,000 in three days and 30,000 in 10 days, Wang said.

The province has also received 3.5 million masks and 45,000 protective suits from other provinces and the central government, he said.

As of Sunday, the province received 88.55 million yuan and 31.32 million yuan from the Hubei Charity Federation and Red Cross Society of China Hubei Branch, respectively, for buying protective gears.