COVID-19: China sends medical supplies to Nepal

The supplies, which arrived in a Nepal Airlines Airbus 330 aircraft at the Tribhuwan International Airport here, are part sponsored by the Chinese government, part bought by the Nepal government and part donated by Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma.

The consignment includes portable ventilators, thermometers, surgical and regular masks, COVID-19 test kits and other protection equipment.

Health officials said the medical items will be dispatched to all districts in the country on Sunday itself.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi officially handed over the supplies to Nepal Minister for Health and Population Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal in a ceremony here.

Hou said China was happy to extend support to the Nepali people. "We are ready to send medical teams to Nepal if needed," she said.

Dhakal thanked the Chinese government for the support.

In total, 2.5 tonnes of medical aid have been sent to Nepal from China.

Health officials said 917 people have been tested for coronavirus in the Himalayan nation, out of whom five tested positive.

Four patients are currently in isolation while one has recovered. Twelve other suspected cases have been isolated.

The Nepal government on Sunday launched a mobile application containing all necessary information about coronavirus.

A person can check for symptoms of the disease through the app on the basis of which the next steps on their treatment can be determined, said Health Ministry Spokesperson Bikas Devkota.