US pledges P139 million aid to Philippines for COVID-19 response
MANILA, Philippines — The United States vowed to provide the Philippines P139 million ($2.7 million) to support the country’s fight to curb the rising number of new coronavirus cases.
The assistance aims to strengthen specimen transport system and laboratory capacity in the Philippines to accurately and rapidly detect COVID-19 infections.
The aid will also ensure that hygiene products, masks, waste management supplies and other necessities are available and managed appropriately for health workers and patients.
“The US government, through the US Agency for International Development, will collaborate with Philippine government counterparts to establish and implement internationally-recognized infectious disease threat prevention and response strategies and enhance infection control,” the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.
Infections in the Philippines rose to 142, with 12 deaths and the government rolled out a P27.1 billion package to arrest the spread of the new coronavirus and provide social protection program for vulnerable workers.
The jump in COVID-19 cases after a month-long prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the main island of Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine, ordering some 55 million people to stay home for the next month.
There are 4,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 73 deaths.
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