A team of 121 Beijing-based medical experts prepare to leave for Wuhan at Beijing International Airport on Sunday. Video by Zhang Jie

A team of 121 Beijing-based medical experts will fly on Sunday afternoon to Wuhan, Hubei province — epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak — according to the Beijing municipal government.

The doctors are respiratory and infectious disease professionals selected from six hospitals in the capital, including the renowned Peking Union Medical College Hospital, which is known for treating difficult and serious illnesses.

The deployment was part of a larger effort to help contain the spread of the pneumonia, which broke out in Wuhan last month and has strained local medical resources.

Medical workers of China-Japan Friendship Hospital prepare to leave for Wuhan in Beijing on Sunday. Video by National Health Commission  

National Health Commission director Ma Xiaowei said on Sunday the central government has allotted 1 billion yuan ($144 million) to assist disease control in Hubei province.

More than 1,600 doctors will be sent to Hubei on Sunday and Monday to relieve shortages of medical personnel, he said at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office on Sunday.

More than 900 doctors from across China had been deployed to the province in seven groupings, and substitutes are on standby. Another 450 military doctors have arrived, and more than 1,000 could be sent there at any time, he said.