HAVANA, Cuba, (CMC)— The Government of China has donated a range of medical products to Cuba to help the communist Caribbean island in the fight against COVID-19.

On Friday, Cuba’s Ambassador to China, Carlos Miguel Pereira, confided that a plane with the supplies landed in the country on the same day.  

This was the first charter flight to transport essential supplies for the prevention, control and treatment of the virus.

The aircraft had items such as masks, protective suits, diagnostic kits and also sample transport devices, the latter indispensable from the point of view of the clinical management of the disease.

Pereira emphasized that the operation is part of the Cuba’s efforts to ensure the provision of materials to its hospitals and save the lives of those who test positive for the new coronavirus, despite the difficulties arising from the US economic, commercial and financial blockade.

He also highlighted the work of the diplomatic staff involved in the task, and thanked the facilities granted by China amid the high international demand to access medical supplies.

To date, over 1,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and there have been 43 deaths.