The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has sent a fresh tranche of emergency medical supplies to help Pakistan and Nepal fight the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

The agency mobilized a plane full of emergency medical supplies, which were also sent to Nepal.

 The shipment departed Travis Air Force Base in California carrying one million masks, including 928,000 KN95 masks from FEMA and 96,000 surgical masks.

For Nepal,  the assistance includes pulse oximeters and personal protective equipment, including 400,000 KN95 masks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and approximately 450,000 disposable gowns donated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

This assistance builds on previous airlifts carrying thousands of surgical masks, face shields, and gloves to Nepal and thousands of pulse oximeters and pieces of personal protective equipment to Pakistan, USAID said in an official statement.

USAID has so far delivered approximately $66 million in urgently needed supplies over the past seven weeks to South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

(SAM)