Team from China to help Philippines contain Covid-19 outbreak

MANILA. The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes 10 medical experts and two officials from China who will share technical advice on the prevention and control of Covid-19. (DFA Photo)
MANILA. The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes 10 medical experts and two officials from China who will share technical advice on the prevention and control of Covid-19. (DFA Photo)

A TEAM of 10 medical experts and two officials from China arrived in the Philippines Sunday, April 5, to provide technical support in the battle against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

The team was welcomed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday.

According to Locsin, the Chinese experts are “those who fought it on the ground” and the only ones who can really tell the Philippines how to handle the virus.

“Chinese medical experts are going to share their experiences with the Philippines on how to fight it, how to contain it, and hopefully one day, how to cure it,” Locsin said.

Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian said the Chinese government dispatched the group to “assist the Philippines in its fight against Covid-19.”

The team also brought a new batch of medical supply donations that include 300,000 surgical masks, 30,000 medical N95 masks, 5,000 medical protective suits, 5,000 medical face shields, and 30 non-invasive ventilators.

The Chinese medical expert team is among the first three teams sent by the Chinese government to member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Most team members had frontline experience Wuhan City and the rest of Hubei province, epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. The novel coronavirus, officially known as Sars-CoV-2, causes Covid-19.

Huang said the team would help the country improve its capability in epidemic prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier announced that it has authorized the technical visit of the Chinese health experts. (SunStar Philippines)

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