Officials from two neighboring cities of Wuhan, Hubei province – the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak – pledged on Feb 1 to prioritize medical staffs' demands for surgical masks and other protective gear, amid a shortage of medical supplies that has jeopardized the safety of health workers at the frontline.

Wu Haitao, mayor of Xiaogan, a city of 628 confirmed cases as of Friday, said the city has 31 medical facilities currently handling the coronavirus patients, and the supply has been in severe shortage.

To fill in the gap, the city government has created a system that allows the needs from frontline doctors to be counted separately and on a daily basis, so that authorities could move to ensure their supply for the next two days, he said at a daily news conference held by the Hubei provincial government in Wuhan on Saturday night.

Qiu Lixin, mayor of Huanggang, which reported 726 confirmed coronavirus infections as of Jan 31, said the city has adopted the principle to prioritize medical use of protective gear, in addition to emergencies.

She said they have established a special office to raise the much-needed gear in multiple ways, through procurement or charitable organizations.

Qiu also solicited help from media to find new ways to get such supplies, which are still greatly needed.