HAIKOU, March 10. /TASS/. Hainan authorities launched production of medical face masks which are in high demand amid coronavirus outbreak in the province, and currently the production stands at 330,000 units, according to Hainan Daily.
According to the news outlet, there are already six new working production lines at five manufactures. Moreover, ten more conveyors are under construction.
In accordance with plan, Hainan intends to increase production of face masks delivering at least one million masks to the market.
"Despite the fact that the problem of satisfying the demand for masks in the region as a whole has been resolved, <...> a number of departments continue to make active efforts to increase production scale, as well as eliminate problems of product quality, transportation of [new] equipment, and control over production materials and packaging,” said a local administration representative.
The source stressed that back in January the province did not have the capacity to manufacture medical face masks, but was able to mobilize resources and resolve the issue in a matter of weeks.
In the Hainan Province, 168 cases of infection with a new type of coronavirus were officially confirmed amid the epidemic, six of them were fatal. 159 people have already undergone treatment and have been discharged from hospitals. Earlier Hainan reduced emergency response level in the province.
In late December 2019, a pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, an economic and industrial megacity with a population of 12 million. The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Overall, nearly 100 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. Outside China, the worst affected countries are Iran, Italy and South Korea. According to the latest reports, China, which handles the bulk of cases, has confirmed around 80,700 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The virus’ death toll has reached more than 3,800, yet more than 59,900 patients have recovered from the disease.