WUHAN, Jan. 30 -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan Thursday visited medical workers and inspected residential communities amid the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Leading a central government group to guide the epidemic control work, Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, expressed respect and gratitude for the medical workers' devotion to the epidemic control at a hospital.

Noting that the numbers of suspected and confirmed infection cases are still on the rise, Sun stressed efforts to protect and support medical workers and ensure medical materials supply.

Sun asked the local health and disease control and prevention departments to streamline the diagnosis procedure for speedy treatment of patients.

The group also visited two community health service centers and a village and learned about the epidemic control measures and residents' lives.

Sun required Party members and officials to keep working at the frontline, calling for efforts to popularize knowledge on epidemic control and self-protection and ensure supplies of food and daily necessities to the locals.