USAID donates 250 ventilators to Egypt’s intensive care units to face COVID-19: Embassy

CAIRO – 10 August 2020: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has delivered 250 “highly specialized” ventilators to Egypt as a donation for intensive care units in the northeastern African countries, the US Embassy in Cairo said in a statement.

This donation serves as support by the US administration to Egypt’s efforts to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Those ventilators are allocated for patients suffering from severe breathing difficulties, according to the Embassy.

“The ventilators can be used for both pediatric and adult care and will provide benefits to Egyptians for years to come,” the statement added.

The donation also includes maintenance package and specialized training for medical staff in Egypt.

For his part, US Ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen said the donation represents the latest step in the joint efforts by Egypt and the US to fight coronavirus.

“Early in the pandemic, Egypt generously provided the United States with a donation of personal protective equipment so our healthcare workers could stay safe. The innovation of American private industry has allowed us to return the favor today with these state-of-the-art, lifesaving devices,” Cohen said.

For her part, Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat hailed cooperation between Egypt and the US, especially amid the coronavirus crisis, saying partnership between the two countries “has reflected a spirit of collective responsibility and reciprocated solidarity for the benefit of our communities”.

“The COVID-19 challenge has pushed stronger cooperation between countries to meet evolving humanitarian needs,” the Embassy quoted Mashat as saying.

The statement added that the US has allocated, over the past four decades, more than $1 billion to help Egypt strengthen its health system.

Egypt recorded Sunday 178 new coronavirus cases, upping the total number of confirmed cases to 95,492.

In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 17 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 5,009.

As many as 1,006 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 52,678 so far, the spokesman said.