Taiwan’s 2nd wave donation: 500K face masks, 20K isolation gowns

MANILA, Philippines – Taiwan’s latest donation for the Philippines’ COVID-19 response, consisting of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPEs) arrived on Thursday, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines (TECO) said.

TECO said that the second wave of donation includes 500,000 pieces of surgical masks, 50,000 pieces of medical grade N95 masks, 20,000 isolation gowns, and 5,000 personal protective gowns.

The first wave arrived last April 15, when Luzon and other areas were still under an enhanced community quarantine due to the piling COVID-19 cases.

“Taiwan’s donation was received by representatives from the Manila Economic and Cultural Office and the Department of Health of the Philippines and the handover was held at the International Cargo Terminal, Pair PAGSS Center, NAIA Expy upon the arrival of the materials,” TECO said in a statement.

“These PPEs will soon be distributed to the Department of Health (DOH) and other Philippine government agencies and medical institutions to protect frontline health workers combating the COVID-19 pandemic,” the organization added.

These donations do not include the initiatives of private Taiwanese individuals and organizations not directly affiliated with the government.

According to Taiwan, they are taking these steps to help neighboring countries as a way of sharing their best practices in combating the latest coronavirus strain.  Despite its proximity to mainland China, the source of the dreaded disease, Taiwan has maintained a low number of cases.

As of Thursday, Taiwan has only registered 443 cases and 7 deaths — with TECO claiming that 80 percent of the cases are actually imported, and not due to local transmissions.  This is a stark difference to the situation in the Philippines — where over 23,000 patients have been infected, with over 1,000 now dead.

“As the world continues struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s success experience and contributions have won widespread recognition by international community,” TECO said.

“Taiwan will continue sharing our experiences and working with the Philippines to contain the spread of COVID-19 to further enhance the welfare of our two peoples,” they added.

JPV