Coronavirus: UAE sends aid to medics in Cuba

Eight tonnes of equipment was sent to the island nation, which has used mass testing to keep the virus contained

A shipment of UAE aid to tackle Covid-19 in Cuba is loaded on to an Etihad cargo aircraft. Wam

The UAE sent a plane carrying eight tonnes of medical supplies to Cuba to bolster efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The aid will assist about 8,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the virus.

Bader Almatroshi, UAE Ambassador to Cuba, said: "The UAE and Cuba have forged strong ties in recent years in a show of cooperation that is helping both of our countries overcome the CovidD-19 crisis.

"With today’s delivery of aid, the UAE leadership is sending a message of support and solidarity to Cuba and its frontline workers, many of whom have gone on to volunteer to battle the virus in other countries with immense courage and resolve."

Cuba was recognised for acting quickly to tackle the virus and to date recorded 2,107 cases, of which 1,830 recovered.

The death toll was 83, in a country of more than 11 million people.

UAE aid to Cuba over the past five years has amounted to more than Dh47 million, state news agency Wam reported.

This week, the UAE also set nine tonnes of medical aid to Dagestan, Russia, to assist more than 9,000 healthcare workers. A further eight tonnes of medical supplies were sent to Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya in Russia, on Wednesday. Russia has more than 441,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with about half of these having recovered. The country has reported 5,384 virus deaths since the oubtreak.

An aid plane carrying nine tonnes of medical supplies was also sent to Madagascar this week, with the aim of helping more than 9,000 medics on the island country, where 908 cases of the virus have been reported.

To date, the UAE has provided more than 708 tonnes of aid to 62 countries in need, supporting more than 708,000 medical professionals.