China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is urgently in need of medical protective equipment, including masks, as the number of people suffering from acute pneumonia is increasing.

"What China urgently needs is medical masks, clothing and goggles," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news conference today.

Fear of disease has prompted people in the nation of 1.4 billion people to hoard disposable medical masks, while frontline health workers in Wuhan City, Hubei Province report a shortage. protective equipment. Chinese factories can only produce about 20 million masks a day if operating at full capacity, according to the country's Ministry of Industry.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan and Hungary have donated medical supplies to support the country. According to a Ministry of Industry official, authorities are taking steps to import masks from Europe, Japan and the United States, adding that supply and demand in China remains in a "tightly balanced" state when producers The device is back to production after Tet holiday.

In addition to Hubei, several other provinces and cities across China were forced to wear masks in public places including Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Liaoning and Nanjing cities.

At a press conference today, Ms Hoa also accused the US of spreading "panic" in its response to the new strain of coronary virus (nCoV) pneumonia, including the imposition of a ban on tourists. China. "The US does not provide any significant assistance, but only creates panic," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

The United States, which currently has eight cases of nCoV infection, declared a public health emergency on January 31 and temporarily banned the entry of foreigners who have been to China in the past two weeks, to prevent the disease. spread.

The outbreak of acute pneumonia occurred in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, in early December. The outbreak has so far killed 362 people, including 361 people in China and one Wuhan man in the Philippines, the number of cases. more than 17,000 people.

Countries with nCoV-infected patients. Click on the image to see details.