Vietnam provides Laos medical supplies for fight against Covid-19

The Vietnamese government has delivered medical supplies worth more than 2 billion kip (over US$300,000) to assist Laos’ efforts to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.
The medical supplies arrived at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane on a special flight of Vietnam Airlines late on April 3.
During a ceremony held at the airport on Saturday, the supplies were handed over by the Ambassador of Vietnam to Laos, Mr Nguyen Ba Hung, to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr Somdy Duangdy, who is also the Chairman of The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The supplies included 330,000 face masks, 1,000 sets of protective clothing and other essential medical equipment for use in the fight against Covid-19.
Mr Somdy thanked the Vietnamese government for its assistance and for providing the valuable supplies to Laos as a contribution to the efforts to prevent and control the Coronavirus.
The assistance will also contribute to enhancing relations and broadening cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, he said. 
So far, several countries have provided medical supplies to Laos to help the country prevent the spread of the virus. 
The Japanese government recently provided personal protective equipment to the ministry for use by medical staff. The donation included 4,680 isolation gowns, 6,100 gloves, 6,000 N95 masks, 13,200 surgical masks, 27 goggles and 240 bottles of alcohol hand-rub.
The US government provided personal protective equipment, for use in responding to the coronavirus, which was donated through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The supplies included 440 protective goggles, 1,500 surgical gowns, 220 face shields, biohazard disposal bags, aprons, N95 face masks, safety boxes, gloves and hand sanitisers. 
The Thai government also provided medical supplies to the Ministry of Health, including 2,040 bottles of gel hand-rub and 50,000 medical gloves.
The Chinese government delivered 2,000 virus detection kits to assist Laos’ efforts to prevent and control infections, according to the Chinese Embassy in Vientiane. The Jack Ma Foundation donated 5,000 sets of protective clothing and N95 face masks, 400,000 standard face masks and 20,000 virus detection sets.
UNICEF has given personal protective equipment to the Ministry of Health to support the country’s response and preparedness for Covid-19. The supplies, including surgical masks, gowns, aprons, caps, gloves, face-shields and coveralls, will be distributed to designated referral hospitals for key frontline staff working for the Covid-19 response.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update April 4, 2020)