BEIJING — China's Ministry of Finance has allocated 500 million yuan (about $78.42 million) to Northwest China's Shaanxi province to support the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic.

On Jan 1, Shaanxi reported 123 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of local cases in the latest resurgence to more than 1,590.

Since the outbreak on Dec 9, Xi'an, the provincial capital, has registered a total of 1,573 local cases.