As of February 5, 107 medical teams with 10,596 members from across the country have been sent to central China's Hubei Province, showing their support for the battle against the deadly coronavirus outbreak, said Yang Yunyan, vice governor of Hubei at a regular press briefing on Thursday night.

However, he added that the prevention and control of the epidemic have now entered a critical period, Yang said the province still faces a distinct shortage of medical staff, with around 2,250.