US allocates $1.7M to Azerbaijan in fight against coronavirus

To combat the spread of COVID-19, the US Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have allocated $1.7 million to Azerbaijan in the form of medical assistance, Report informs referring to the US Embassy in Azerbaijan.

The funds allocated are aimed at preparing laboratory systems, intensifying the detection of new cases of coronavirus infection, supporting technical experts for taking response measures, ensure their preparedness, and raising risk awareness.

The embassy noted that over the past 20 years, the US had invested nearly $41 million in healthcare in Azerbaijan, while the total aid amounted to more than $890 million.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier that the US allocated $274 million to help countries that were hit by the coronavirus the hardest. These funds will be shared between 64 countries, he noted.

The outbreak in China’s Wuhan city - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 27,300. Over 597,400 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 133,300 people have reportedly recovered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.