WUHAN — A total of 10,596 medical workers have been sent to Central China's Hubei province to assist novel coronavirus control.

The province has seen 107 medical teams from 29 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, as well as the People's Liberation Army, Yang Yunyan, vice-governor of Hubei told a press conference late Feb 6.

Yang said another 2,250 medical practitioners are still needed, especially those from the respiratory, critical care and infectious departments.

To solve the shortage of health workers, the province has encouraged local hospitals to re-employ retired doctors and nurses in good health, and the provincial headquarters for the control and treatment of the epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus is applying for further aid from the central government, he said.