WUHAN, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has established headquarters for the control and treatment of the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The headquarters, headed by the mayor Zhou Xianwang, consist of eight groups including those in charge of emergency response supply, traffic, medical treatment and epidemic control, according to a meeting held on late Monday.

At the meeting, the headquarters requested setting up a medical team for the treatment of each infected patient in serious conditions, and ordered measures to protect medical staff from being infected.

Public gatherings should be reduced or cancelled, according to the meeting.

The meeting also requested measures such as the closing of the related markets, circulation control of wild animals, and supervision of body temperatures of the people at airports, railway stations and wharfs.

The headquarters will also be in charge of disclosing the latest information and progress in the prevention and control of the epidemic and spreading the prevention knowledge to eliminate social fears to the largest extent.

The pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan in December, where 198 viral pneumonia cases have been confirmed.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, a total of 224 cases had been reported in China. Of them, 217 had been confirmed and 7 remained suspected.