U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday announced an additional $225 million in U.S. aid for global efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic but said the Trump administration will keep critical medical supplies in the United States given the domestic need.
“Right now, given the great need for PPE (personal protection equipment) in our own country, our focus will be on keeping critical medical items in the United States until demand is met here,†Pompeo told a State Department news conference.
At the same time, he announced that the United States will disperse $225 million in new assistance to global efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic on top of $274 million already provided to 64 countries.
The new funding “will be used to reduce transmission†of the highly contagious novel coronavirus “through virus diagnosis, prevention, and control, to bolster health systems, to prepare labs to train healthcare workers, to increase awareness and much, much more,†Pompeo said.
“No country can match this level of generosity,†he said.
Source:Â reuters.com