Global spread of disease creates new challenges for prevention, control work

China is stepping up efforts to ensure the supply of medical goods to meet surging demand both at home and abroad, as the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak continues to spread across the globe, the nation's top industrial regulator said on Wednesday.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesman Huang Libin said the global spread of the novel coronavirus created new challenges for the nation's prevention and control work, and China will make a big push to ensure steady supplies of medical goods.

On the basis of maintaining a top-level response to the epidemic situation in Beijing, Tianjin, Hubei province and Hebei province, the ministry will increase medical supplies at border crossings and in medium-risk regions.

Huang told a news conference that China will continue to offer material aid to foreign countries and export medical supplies.

As of the end of March, a total of more than 100 countries and international organizations have ordered items including protective suits, face masks, thermometers, ventilators and medicines from China, according to the ministry.

The ministry said China is able to meet domestic demand for medical protective goods and is actively expanding exports of medical supplies to help contain the global spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

As of Sunday, daily production of disposable medical protective clothing in China exceeded 1.5 million sets, and daily output of N95 masks was well over 3.4 million units, according to the ministry.

Chen Kelong, a ministry official, said major domestic manufacturers of ventilators, one of the most urgently needed medical products, are working at full capacity to keep up with demand.

So far, Chinese enterprises have provided nearly 18,000 ventilators to other countries, the ministry said.

"In face of the shortage of epidemic prevention materials, we are working hard to work with the ministry to increase the supplies," said Liu Jingzhen, chairman of China National Pharmaceutical Group Co.

China National Pharmaceutical Group Co is among the many Chinese companies that are actively providing medical supplies to battle the coronavirus outbreak both at home and abroad.

Since the start of the outbreak, the company has supplied a total of 850 million sets of protective clothing and other medical supplies in the nation, among which 320 million were sent to Hubei province.

It has signed contracts with 88 countries and international organizations, and it has shipped more than 100 million units of medical products to 64 countries, Liu added.