100K COVID-19 test kits, other donations from China to arrive March 21 – embassy

MANILA, Philippines — One hundred thousand coronavirus disease testing kits, personal protective equipment (PPE) sets and masks donated by China will arrive in the Philippines early Monday, its embassy in Manila said.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said over Twitter on Friday that the “(p)romised China help arrived on charter flight at 5 am.”

“Praying no hitches. DOH (Department of Health) on the ball so we’re ok. Items perishable in heat,” he added.

But a tweet from the Chinese embassy said its government’s donation would only arrive Saturday morning.

“Test kits, mask, protective equipment, etc donated by Chinese Gover(n)ment will arrive in Manila tomorrow morning,” the embassy said.

Test kits,mask,protective equipments,etc donated by Chinese Goverment will arrive in Manila tomorrow morning. https://t.co/MDO68g1mmV

— ChineseEmbassyManila (@Chinaembmanila) March 20, 2020

In a later tweet, Locsin said there had been a “change of schedule.”

“Change of schedule, now won’t say when when. I don’t want a circus,” he said.

Change of schedule, now won't say when when. I don't want a circus. I have grown up already from the time I followed circuses around the world. Fascinated by trained animals. Now too old and too impatient. https://t.co/o96MoUZ671

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) March 20, 2020

“I have grown up already from the time I followed circuses around the world. Fascinated by trained animals. Now too old and too impatient,” he added.

The donation from China, which includes 100,000 testing kits, 100,000 surgical masks, 10,000 N95 masks, and 10,000 sets of PPE, comes as the Philippines grapples with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

The country is currently under a state of calamity with an enhanced community quarantine imposed in Luzon.

As of Thursday, the DOH reported 217 cases of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.

The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance.

GSG/EDV