Saudi Arabia donates medical supplies to Tunisia as Covid-19 surges

160 tonnes of liquid oxygen sent to North African country by the kingdom

Officials receive the shipment of liquid oxygen from Saudi Arabia at the seaport in the Rades region of Tunisia. Photo: SPA
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Tunisia has received a shipment of medical supplies from Saudi Arabia to help in the country's fight against Covid-19.

On Saturday, 160 tonnes of liquid oxygen arrived as part of the Saudi relief operation by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre in Tunisia.

The batch was received at the seaport in the Rades region by Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Tunisia Dr Abdul Aziz Al Saqr, Tunisia's Acting Minister of Health Ali Merabet and other senior officials.

Tunisia reported 8,460 Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths in the latest 24-hour reporting, figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University show.

Mr Merabet thanked the kingdom's leadership for its support for Tunisia.

Ambassador Al Saqr told Saudi Press Agency that the kingdom was proving to the Tunisian people "that it is standing by their side to face all tough circumstances".

Saudi Arabia recently donated 40,000 tonnes of oxygen for Covid-19 patients.

Several countries promised to help Tunisia fight the coronavirus in July 2021 when the north African country recorded its highest daily death toll since the pandemic began, putting its healthcare system under severe stress and depleting oxygen supplies.

Tunisia imposed tighter entry requirements in December, following the discovery of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Updated: January 16, 2022, 5:47 AM