East China's Shandong province dispatched its first emergency test group to Hubei province, the center of the coronavirus epidemic in China, on Jan 31, after having previously sent two groups of medical workers.

The Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention received the order of supporting virus detection in Hubei's laboratories on Jan 29 and then made a quick response.

The emergency test group consists of four experts engaging in disease control and prevention. They were selected from a total of 18 candidates who are all skilled in virus detection. The four experts have abundant experience and are able to quickly get to work once they arrive in Ezhou, Hubei.

The group will help with sample testing, report making, and epidemicmonitoring. They can relive pressure on local medical workers as the number of suspected patients is growing.

In addition, a total of 14 boxes of supplies, including protective suits, surgical masks, gloves, and medical facilities, were sent to meet the needs in Ezhou on the same day.