Nyakallo Tefu
South Africa on Tuesday received medical supplies from China to help combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The consignment was currently going through accelerated clearance with the South African Revenue Services after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday night from Guangzhou, China.
The donated items includes 11 000 N95 masks, 50 000 surgical masks, 3 000 sets of protective suits, 500 portable infrared thermometers, 3 000 goggles, 11 000 pairs of surgical gloves and 11 000 pairs of medical shoe covers.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize thanked the Chinese government for the donation, which he said came at a time when the country desperately needed it.
“I will also add that there has been a lot of support from the people of China, particularly the area of technical support, where the country organized for us to be briefed about how they dealt with this virus,” said Mkhize.
“I also want to say thank you to the department of International Relations for facilitating a lot of movement of our goods coming from China into South Africa,” said Mkhize.
The minister said the country’s confirmed cases of coronavirus currently stood at 2415.
“The numbers are rising as we have more tests conducted in the public sector as we have teams screening communities,” said Mkhize.
Mkhize said the department’s strategy was to test people before they landed in hospitals for serious cases of COVID-19.
At least 87 000 tests have so far been conducted in South Africa, with Gauteng still the epicenter of the virus as it has the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal. “We are very sensitive about the protection of our healthcare workers and this donation from China will ensure that we get our staff protected against this virus,” said Mkhize.
