Coronavirus: Masks and test kits donated by Jack Ma arrive in US
- Chinese-made supplies will be distributed by US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention amid shortages in United States
- Before the contagion took hold in the US, China was on the receiving end of America’s charity
The first shipment of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma’s donation of 1 million masks and 500,000 coronavirus test kits to the United States arrived in the US on Monday morning.
The supplies, which will be distributed by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), were purchased in China since its factories have gradually resumed production. The shipment of a second batch will depend on availability, said a spokesman at the Jack Ma Foundation.
Ma is the co-founder of Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post.
The United States is facing a shortage of kits for diagnosing the deadly contagion, which has led to widespread criticism of the federal government for its slowness in preparedness and response. Public health officials have rebuked US President Donald Trump for playing down the seriousness of the rapidly spreading illness.
Shortages of laboratory equipment, reagents and swabs mean many people are still unable to be tested despite the CDC’s guidance that anyone with a doctor’s order can do so with no restrictions.