The Chinese mainland has sent a fifth group of medical experts to Hong Kong to assist in the fight against its recent COVID-19 outbreak, the National Health Commission said on Friday.?

At the invitation of the Hong Kong SAR government, the commission and the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control sent the six-member team of experts in public health and community epidemic control to Hong Kong on Thursday to reduce the number of deaths and prevent community infections, it said.?

The number of cases in Hong Kong has been slowed and the team will assist the SAR government in studying the epidemic and in containing the outbreak as soon as possible, the commission said.?

Sending another team to Hong Kong shows the central government's support for the city's epidemic containment efforts. Team members have rich experience of fighting in the front lines during multiple outbreaks on the mainland, the commission added.