Jack Ma, the richest man in China, has actually donated a million masks and half million tests to the US.
Coronavirus: Masks and test kits donated by Jack Ma arrive in US
Cissy Zhou
South China Morning PostMarch 17, 2020
The first shipment of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma's donation of 1 million masks and 500,000 coronavirus test kits to the United States arrived in the US on Monday morning.The supplies, which will be distributed by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), were purchased in China since its factories have gradually resumed production. The shipment of a second batch will depend on availability, said a spokesman at the Jack Ma Foundation.
Ma is the co-founder of Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post.
The United States is facing a shortage of kits for diagnosing the deadly contagion, which has led to widespread criticism of the federal government for its slowness in preparedness and response. Public health officials have rebuked US President Donald Trump for playing down the seriousness of the rapidly spreading illness.
photos
Workers in China load donated medical supplies bound for the United States. Photo: Handout alt=Workers in China load donated medical supplies bound for the United States. Photo: Handout
Shortages of laboratory equipment, reagents and swabs mean many people are still unable to be tested despite the CDC's guidance that anyone with a doctor's order can do so with no restrictions.
The gift by Ma, who stepped down as the Chinese e-commerce giant's chairman last year, is the first by Chinese entrepreneurs to the United States amid the finger-pointing between officials and politicians from the two powers.
Ma created a personal Twitter handle over the weekend and his first post was about the shipment's progress.
The first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US is taking off from Shanghai. All the best to our friends in America. pic.twitter.com/LTn26gvlOl
" Jack Ma (@JackMa) March 16, 2020
His foundation has also donated medical supplies to Europe, Japan, South Korea, Iran and 54 African countries, and it has also pledged US$14 million to help develop a coronavirus vaccine.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is based in Seattle, has pledged US$100 million to help global detection, isolation and treatment of the coronavirus.
Amazon and Microsoft have also announced US$1 million donations to a fund to help the Seattle area, which is the US epicentre of the pandemic and where the two companies are based, combat the outbreak.
Before the contagion took hold in the US, China was on the receiving end of America's charity, with Washington pledging US$100 million on February 7 to help it and other affected countries.
US companies including Microsoft, General Motors, Boeing and the NBA donated funds and shipped supplies to China, especially to the city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic started.
In the United States, more than 3,600 people have been infected and at least 68 have died. Worldwide, the number of cases has passed 170,000 with more than 6,650 deaths.
finance.yahoo.com |
