URUMQI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has allocated a total of 2.4 billion yuan (about 338 million U.S. dollars) for efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to local authorities.

Part of the funding has been spent on the treatment of 76 patients infected with the virus in the region and the on-duty subsidy for frontline medical workers, according to the regional finance department.

The funding has also been used to offer financial assistance to people whose lives have been affected by the outbreak, as well as enterprises that employ handicapped people or produce supplies needed for the control of the outbreak.

In addition, regional authorities have allocated 65 million yuan for telecommunication and over 4 million yuan for logistics cost of vegetables shipped from outside the region.