Islamabad: The United States has donated 100 ventilators worth USD 3 million to Pakistan to support its fight against COVID-19.
The US embassy here in a statement on Friday said the Trump administration through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) “donated a shipment of 100 brand-new, state-of-the-art ventilators” to Pakistan.
The ventilators arrived in Karachi on July 2 and will be sent to hospitals across Pakistan.
“This donation delivers on President Donald Trump’s generous offer of these critically needed supplies and supports Pakistan’s urgent response to the pandemic,” the embassy said.
Made in America, the ventilators are valued at about USD 3 million and reflect the latest in cutting-edge medical design and technology, it said.
They are compact, easily deployable, and will enable Pakistan to more effectively treat patients suffering from COVID-19.
The US-Pakistan health partnership to curb the spread of the coronavirus is helping to improve and expand laboratory testing, disease monitoring, case tracking, infection prevention and control and patient care, the embassy said.
The US has contributed nearly USD 27 million in new funding so far to this vital partnership that is growing every day. “We are also thankful for Pakistan’s contribution of medical supplies to help fight coronavirus in the US,” the embassy said in the statement.
Ambassador Paul Jones said, “The US stands with Pakistan in its fight against the coronavirus. These American-made ventilators will help Pakistani patients in the most acute need of medical care.”
The announcement comes days after Pakistan said it had started producing locally designed ventilators.
Pakistan reported 78 more deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising virus-related fatalities to 4,551 while the total number of confirmed cases has increased to 221,896.
On Friday, the health authorities said 113,623 persons have recovered from the coronavirus, surpassing the number of active COVID-19 infections in the country for the first time.
