Alibaba Group President, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma to donate 20,000 coronavirus test kits and more than 100,000 masks to African countries
Alibaba Group President, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, announced a donation of 20,000 coronavirus test kits and more than 100,000 masks to African countries to help them fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Jack Ma made the
announcement during an audience with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday March
15. He also said that the package includes a practical guide that provides
information on how to treat patients with the virus.
It should be
noted also that The United States is facing a shortage of testing kits and
medical face masks as the coronavirus continues to spread, but Alibaba
billionaire Jack Ma has stepped in to help.
In a statement
released by his charitable foundation Friday, Ma said he worked to collect the
scarce medical supplies for weeks. While the statement did not specify where in
the United States the tests and masks would go, they could help alleviate a
shortage of testing materials that has contributed to the US falling behind
other nations on the number of tests performed per capita.
"Drawing
from my own country's experience, speedy and accurate testing and adequate
personal protective equipment for medical professionals are most effective in
preventing the spread of the virus," Ma said in a statement released by
his charitable foundation on Twitter Friday morning "At this moment, we
can not beat the virus until we eliminate boundaries to resources and share our
know-how and hard-earned lessons."
This is not Ma's
first attempt to provide relief. On January 30, the billionaire pledged 100
million yuan ($14.5 million) to "support the development of a coronavirus
vaccine."
Ma later donated
an additional $2.15 million to the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
in Australia, to help fund the development of a vaccine.
Ma was crowned
Asia's richest man Thursday after one of the largest single-day drops in market
history, Fortune reported.
Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor
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