Cuba thanks China for donations to face COVID-19

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 15 (ACN) The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) showed its gratitude for the delivery of two donations made by the Government of the People's Republic of China and the embassy of that Asian country in Havana in support of the fight against COVID-19.

The signing ceremony of the Acts of Delivery and Reception of these donations took place at the Minsap headquarters and was signed by Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda, head of the sector, and Ma Hui, ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Cuba.

One is composed of 30 pulmonary ventilators, two thousand antigen kits, 100 thousand surgical masks, 150 thousand masks, 100 thousand surgical gloves, 100 thousand examination gloves, 30 thousand protective suits, 20 thousand protective goggles, 100 thousand protective screens and 20 thousand surgical suits and was signed by the ambassador and Deborah Rivas, vice-minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

Ma Hui also handed over to the head of Minsap a check in the amount of 100 thousand US dollars, whose Act of Delivery was signed by both representatives.

On behalf of the Ministry, the people and the Government, the Cuban Minister of Health expressed his special thanks for the donations received from the People's Republic of China to contribute to face the epidemic.

He emphasized that they have been gestures of solidarity that not only ratify the unbreakable friendship that exists between both nations, but also the will to strengthen bilateral cooperation to continue fighting the virus.

Portal Miranda expressed that the donation of 100 thousand dollars in cash will be used by the Ministry of Public Health to acquire essential supplies that will contribute to the work of prevention and control of COVID-19 in the country which, in the midst of the complex epidemiological context, is also facing a brutal intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States.

Notwithstanding that reality, with enormous efforts and sacrifices, Cuba has managed to control the disease and sustain the functioning of the health system and in a short time managed to massively immunize more than 83% of the population with the vaccines developed by Cuban scientists, the minister emphasized.

For his part, the ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Cuba highlighted the great pleasure of delivering this donation to Cuba, the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish relations with China that are growing stronger with time.

"In the fight against the pandemic both countries help each other, which is proof of our solidarity, the pandemic does not recognize borders, only international solidarity can defeat the virus, Chinese vaccines are a public good," he stressed.
Cuba has managed to control the pandemic and develop five vaccines and China is willing to continue collaborating in the health sector, the ambassador concluded.