US pledges ventilators as Buhari speaks to Trump NEWS

Navigation: Home > News > NEWS > US pledges ventilators as Buhari speaks to Trump

US pledges ventilators as Buhari speaks to Trump

By AdvocateNews on 29/04/2020

Trump and Buhari speak on COVID-19

The United States has promised to send ventilators to support Nigeria in its fight against the COVID 19 pandemic.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, PTF briefing, disclosed that the US President, Donald Trump, made the promise when he had a telephone conversation earlier on Tuesday with Buhari.

Muhammed said Trump also extended its best regards to the people of Nigeria in the fight against the pandemic.

He stated “President Muhammadu Buhari today (Tuesday) had a phone conversation with President Donald Trump, at the request of the American President. The conversation centred on Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“President Buhari used the opportunity to brief the American President on the steps that Nigeria is taking to contain the spread of the disease.

“For his part, President Trump assured that the United States is in solidarity with Nigeria in this difficult time and promised to send ventilators to support the country in its fight against the pandemic. President Trump also extends his best regards to the people of Nigeria.”

Ventilator, which are machines that pump air in and out of the lungs, are needed to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, who suffer from severe respiratory symptoms.

Trump had on Friday said the US would sell ventilators to developing countries to fight the coronavirus.

Trump, who spoke on the telephone to the presidents of Indonesia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras, had promised that the US would send the vital medical equipment.

“We will be sending them desperately needed ventilators, of which we have recently manufactured many, and helping them in other ways,” Trump wrote on twitter about his call to President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador.

As of Monday, Nigeria had 1,337 cases of COVID-19, with 255 patients discharged while 40 people had died of the virus.

But the National Coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, had at a press briefing by the World Economic Forum/World Health Organisation, last week said Nigeria had 450 ventilators.

He said before the outbreak of the virus, Nigeria had 350 ventilators, adding that 100 more had been acquired.

China has donated to Nigeria 1,500 N95 respirators; 4,750 protective clothings; 4,750 goggles; 850 infrared thermometers; 130,000 surgical masks; 9750 medical gloves and 9,750 medical shoes covers.

Posted 29/04/2020 07:00:59 AM

Share on Tweet