Medical supplies in Hubei better but shortage remains

The medical supplies in Hubei province have been boosted in the fight against the novel coronavirus, but the disparity between supply and demand is still there, Cao Guangjing, vice-governor of the province, said on Saturday.

The supply has been rising but the demand is also growing fast, and the situation will continue for some time, he said, adding the situation is better than before.

At the initial stage, about 10,000 sets of protective clothing and 35,000 N95 masks could be provided every day, and now the numbers of the two have reached 170,000 and 300,000 each day, respectively, according to Cao.

As of Friday, central ministries and other provincial regions have helped allocate a total of 1.93 million sets of protective clothing and 2.95 million masks to Hubei, he said.

The production capacities of protective clothing, N95 masks and surgical masks in the province have reached 62,000, 250,000 and 1.1 million per day respectively, he added.

However, as more medical workers have arrived in Hubei to help with the local disease control work, and more patients have been found, Cao said the medical supplies in Hubei are still in a relatively tight stage. 

It is still the most urgent task to expand the level and capacity of self-production and self-supply in the province, he said.