Published 07:52 IST, February 8th 2020
USA donates $100 million to China to combat fatal coronavirus
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the donation in a tweet on Friday and comes hours after President Trump's call to President Xi Jinping
The United States has offered $100 million to China to combat coronavirus, which has claimed more than 600 lives in over a month. US Secretary of State took to Twitter to announce the aid to China.
US donates to China
Secretary Popeo also mentioned that the donation emphasizes the United States' leadership in response to the outbreak. The US government has also transported humanitarian aid to Wuhan, which includes personal protective equipment and other medical supplies. Earlier, multiple US organisations had donated life-saving personal protection equipment and medical and humanitarian relief supplies to China.
The announcement comes hours after US President Donald Trump had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the virus. Speaking to reporters after the call at the White House, he said, "We talked about, mostly about the coronavirus. They're working really hard and I think they're doing a very professional job. I think that China will do a very good job."
A release by the Chinese government read "President Trump expressed full support for China's efforts to control the epidemic and readiness to send experts to China and provide other forms of assistance. The fact that China has finished building special hospitals for the patients in a matter of days is impressive. It fully demonstrates China's exceptional ability of organization and response. Trump expressed confidence that the Chinese people, under the leadership of President Xi, will win the battle against the outbreak. He said that the US has confidence in China's economic growth. The US will be very calm in its response to the epidemic and continue communication and cooperation with China through bilateral and WHO channels."
During the daily briefing on Friday, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed that there was a lack of enough protection gear and that the prices of protective gear had gone up by 20 times. He said, "WHO is sending testing kits, masks, gloves, respirators and gowns to countries in every region. However, the world is facing severe disruption in the market for personal protective equipment. Demand is up to 100 times higher than normal and prices are up to 20 times higher. This situation has been exacerbated by widespread, inappropriate use of PPE outside patient care. As a result, there are now depleted stockpiles and backlogs of 4 to 6 months. Global stocks of masks and respirators are now insufficient to meet the needs of WHO and our partners. WHO estimates that global frontline health emergency responders will require approximately 7% to 10% of market capacity. This percentage may be higher for other critical supplies."
(Image credits: AP)
Updated 07:52 IST, February 8th 2020