COVID-19: US donates 200 ventilators to Nigeria

ANKARA (AA) - The US government has donated Nigeria some 200 ventilators to help its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the aid-receiving country said on Tuesday.

The delivery of ventilators took place during a ceremony where US Ambassador in Abuja Mary Beth Leonard officially handed over the devices to Nigeria’s top health official Osagie Ehanire, the Health Ministry said on Twitter.

"This donation consists of 200 ventilators which are critical components of the response strategy that will help to save the lives of persons who have been severely impacted by #COVID19,” Ehanire was quoted as saying.

"These ventilators will be of great benefit to the people of #Nigeria,” he added.

For her part, Leonard was quoted in local media as saying: “The United States has been pivotal in supporting Nigeria’s membership in the ‘Every Breath Counts’ Coalition. Nigeria is now one of just two countries in Africa to have an ‘oxygen roadmap’ that seeks to fight against pneumonia, hypoxemia, and now COVID-19.”

“I hope to see Nigeria continue this trajectory as an example for other nations to follow,” Premium Times cited her.

Recently, Nigeria's government has issued a fresh warning for its citizens to take preventive measures against the coronavirus as the country's death toll has neared 1,000.

This came as the nationwide death toll has reached 950 and the case count has hit 46,867, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 737,200 people worldwide, with some 20.12 million confirmed cases and over 12.38 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.