The Office of Papal Charities collaborated with the Missionary Centre of the Chinese Church in Italy to send hundreds of thousands of surgical masks to China, to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the masks have been sent to Hubei, Zhejiand, and Fujian provinces.

The virus has now officially been spread to more than 20 countries.

China reported Monday that since its outbreak in December, more than 360 people have died of the disease in the country.

In mainland China, the total number of confirmed cases was at 17,205 as of Sunday evening, which was an increase of almost 20% over the preceding day.

As the coronavirus continues to pop up around the globe, concern is still mostly linked to the lack of a confirmed cure or treatment protocol. Nevertheless, the fatality rate of the virus is at about 2%.

Read more: Prayer to protect against the Wuhan coronavirus

On January 27, after the midday Angelus, Pope Francis prayed for those affected by coronavirus.

“May the Lord welcome the dead into his peace, comfort families, and sustain the great commitment by the Chinese community that has already been put in place to combat the epidemic,” he said.