An aid team of seven people on Wednesday left China for Italy to assist its containment of the novel coronavirus, according to a report by the China Central Television.

The team, led by a vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, consists of an expert with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and five people from Southwest China's Sichuan province - three medics, an interpreter and a Sichuan Red Cross officer in charge of communication.

The deployment was at the request of the Italian Red Cross and was approved by central authorities, the report said.

The three medics from Sichuan are Liang Zong'an, a senior respiratory physician at West China Hospital affiliated with Sichuan University in the provincial capital of Chengdu, Tang Menglin, a senior nurse at the hospital, and Tong Wenbin, deputy director at the provincial institute of microbiology.

Apart from self-protection materials, they are bringing some medical protective materials at the request of Italian Red Cross, the report said.