BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 18
By Ilkin Seyfaddini – Trend:
The US Embassy handed over personal protective equipment to the Uzbek Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare Agency as part of the second charitable transfer of personal protective equipment from the US to Uzbekistan to prepare for the potential spread of a new coronavirus disease, Trend reports citing the press service of the US Embassy in Uzbekistan.
USAID has provided additional funding from the USAID Emergency Reserve Fund for infectious diseases, for countries affected by the coronavirus or at high risk of spreading, including Uzbekistan. US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Daniel Rosenblum, while appreciating the country's readiness, announced that USAID will provide further support and assistance to Uzbekistan in preparing and responding to COVID-19.
"The new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, poses a global public health threat that can only be eliminated through close cooperation between governments and international organizations," said Rosenblum.
The ambassador also added that the U.S. government is working closely with partners in Uzbekistan to support the country's preparedness and response to this global outbreak.
Personal protective equipment provided by USAID includes 10,000 examination gloves, 10,200 masks, 1,400 isolation coats and 200 safety glasses. These materials will be distributed to region centers and cities throughout Uzbekistan.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 7,900. Over 198,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 81,000 people have reportedly recovered.
Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
Several countries are working on a vaccine against the new virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
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