BEIJING — China has sent nearly 6,000 medical workers from across the country to Hubei province in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, a health official said on Jan 28.

A total of 4,130 medical workers, in 30 teams, have arrived and started working, said Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference held in Beijing, adding that an additional 1,800 medical staff will arrive by the end of Jan 28.

The first batches were sent from Shanghai and Guangdong on Jan 24.

These teams were sent to support the medical personnel in Hubei where the outbreak has taken a heavy toll.

By the end of Jan 27, a total of 2,714 confirmed cases had been reported in Hubei and 2,567 patients have been hospitalized, the Hubei Provincial Health Commission said on Jan 28. Hospitals across the province received 31,934 fever patients on Jan 27.