China sends 20,000 coronavirus testing kits, PPEs to Bangladesh

China has sent 10,000 coronavirus testing kits and as many personal protective equipment or PPEs to Bangladesh where the number of known COVID-19 cases has risen to 44 with five deaths

Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming handed the kits and gears to Abul Kalam Azad, the director general of health services, at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.

China also delivered 15,000 N95 masks and 1,000 infrared thermometers, Azad said.

The situation in China is almost under control after the pandemic started there around three months ago and spread to the rest of the world. It is now helping other countries with its experience in tackling the outbreak.

It had sent 500 test kits to Bangladesh in February before the first patient was detected.

Bangladesh had also sent 1 million pairs of hand gloves, 500,000 face masks, 150,000 caps, 100,000 bottles of hand sanitiser, 50,000 show covers, and 8,000 gowns to help China fight the outbreak.

Azad said the Chinese ambassador Jiming told him that he had talked to his government to discuss Bangladesh’s request for a team of Chinese doctors and nurses for training of medics in Bangladesh.

Jiming told the media that Bangladeshi medical workers can already take the help online.

China was still fighting against the virus, he said. The ambassador urged the people to be confident and hoped Bangladesh would win the battle as well with the help of China and others.

Jack Ma, the co-founder of Chinese technology giant Alibaba and Asia’s richest man, has also pledged 1.8 million face masks and 210,000 coronavirus test kits to 10 countries, including Bangladesh.

Azad said he heard 30,000 test kits, 300,000 face masks, including 270,000 surgical masks and 30,000 N95 ones, from Ma would arrive on Sunday.