BEIJING — China's Ministry of Transport on Jan 25 announced measures to prioritize transportation of emergency supplies and medical staff to aid control of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan.

The emergency vehicles will be exempt from tolls on trans-provincial highways and given traffic priority, the ministry said.

It demanded local authorities to strengthen coordination to facilitate the traffic flows and enhance communication to ensure the timely transportation of the medical resources.

Chinese health authorities announced on Jan 25 that 1,287 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), including 237 in critical conditions, had been reported in the country by the end of Jan 24.

The pneumonia situation had resulted in 41 deaths, the National Health Commission said.

The country is mobilizing medical resources nationwide to aid Central China's Wuhan, the center of the 2019-nCoV outbreak, to control the epidemic.