COVID-19: Egyptian Air Force airlifts medical aids to Italy
Various strategic airlift aircraft belong to the Egyptian Air Force (EAF), carrying medical supplies has landed in the Italian Malpensa Airport to provide the Italian authority medical aid to fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The medical supplies were airlifted under the orders of Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, a day after El-Sisi expressed in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte his “full readiness” to support Italy amid the outbreak.
El-Sisi ordered that the military prepare and send two military jets to Italy to provide medical aid, including medical supplies, protective suits and disinfectants. Says Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady
“This comes in line with the historical ties between the two friendly countries, contributing in easing the burden on Italy in its current plight. especially amid a severe shortage in medical supplies, medications and others as death and infections continue to rise,” Rady said.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio posted a live video on Facebook showing the arrival of Egypt’s medical aid and his reception of Egyptian health minister Hala Zayed.
The Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed also arrived in Italy accompanied by a high-ranking Egyptian military delegation to deliver a shipment of medical aid on board of EAF C-130H abd C-295M CASA airlifters to assist Italy in fighting COVID19.
The minister was received by Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio, who expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s assistance and solidarity with his state and people.
This marks the second shipment of medical supplies Egypt has sent to Italy, with the first on March 22 aboard an EgyptAir aircraft.
The first medical aid shipment includes more than one million medical face masks and will be sent to Lombardy region, which has been locked down since March 8, 2020, in northern Italy, sources at the Cairo International Airport told the newspaper.
Due to a shortage in the medical supply and equipment in Italy, Doctors Without Borders organization announced that 1,700 medical care workers have been infected with the virus in Italy so far. One of the Italian doctors, who warned against the medical supply shortage such as gloves and face masks, died from the virus on Wednesday.
Italy has recorded more than 53,500 infected cases of coronavirus and 4,825 deaths as of Sunday.
As yet the global infected cases of the virus reached 314,116 people and 13,557 deaths were reported, while the recovered cases rose to 95,874.
