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More medical assistance to contain COVID-19 arrives

More medical assistance to contain COVID-19 arrives

The government this week received two consignments of COVID-19 aid from the Chinese government as well as further assistance from the Jack Ma Foundation.

At a handover event at Hosea Kutako International Airport on Thursday, Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming handed over the consignment to Namibia’s health minister, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula.

The two consignments of aid from the Chinese government and the Jack Ma Foundation included, among others, 30,000 medical masks, 5,800 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 10 ventilators, nearly 19,000 testing kits, and other vital paraphernalia such as goggles and thermometer guns which will be used for the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Shangula expressed profound gratitude to the Chinese government as well as to the Jack Ma Foundation for the assistance. The donations have come at an opportune time as the country has recently commenced with targeted testing of the community, he said.

“The front-line people, like health workers, are important and their safety and welfare is equally important in managing the pandemic,” he said.

Zhang at the event commended Namibia’s battle against the pandemic and stressed the importance of the aid as the two nations fight side by side to defeat the pandemic.

“I respect how the lockdown in Namibia has managed to see fewer transmissions and China stands ready to assist through material assistance as well as working closely with Namibia’s government to win the battle,” he said.

The latest consignments are on top of the previous donations from the Chinese embassy of 1,000 COVID-19 reagent testing kits, among other donations.

Shangula at the event also said that out of the nation’s 16 cases recorded, seven cases have recovered.


 

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