US Chinese who sent coronavirus aid to China rally for American hospitals

University alumni in both countries among those leading the effort to get medical supplies to health workers in New York and Chicago

Two months ago they were doing the same for China’s Hubei province where the outbreak was first reported

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Medical workers at a Staten Island hospital in New York receive face masks donated by the Chinese community in the US and their counterparts in China. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00pm, 31 Mar 2020Updated: 6:00pm, 31 Mar 2020

Two months ago, the Chinese community in the US was scrambling to find and ship stocks of medical supplies to China as it grappled with the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, as the US is engulfed by the outbreak, with the highest number of cases in the world, the same community is on a new mission to bring medical supplies from China to American hospitals.

The first batch of face masks – donated and shipped by Northwestern University alumni based in a number of Chinese cities – arrived in Chicago on Friday and was delivered to New York City’s NYU Langone Health a day later.

Two more batches, made up of 5,520 N95 respirator masks bought in China, are expected to arrive on Wednesday, destined for medical centres, clinics, nursing homes and fire and police stations in the Chicago metropolitan area.

For Chicago resident and Northwestern University graduate Wang Di, 32, the speed of the turnaround was unexpected. He did not expect the tide to turn so quickly.