US opens coronavirus push with provision of health supplies to Laos

THE US on Monday said it had provided health supplies to Laos in the first delivery from a pledge of up to $100 million in global assistance to fight the coronavirus.

The US Agency for Internationa l Development said it handed over equipment including 440 protective goggles and 1,500 surgica l gowns to Laos, which borders China, t he epicentre of t he fast-spreading v ir us.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday promised up to $100 million in aid to China and other affected countries to counter the virus that has killed more than 900 people.

Jim Richardson, t he State Department’s director of foreign assistance resources, said the Laos deliver y was the first and t hat funding would primarily aim at containing t he coronav irus.

“You’ll start seeing more announcements as we start tallying up how much assistance is needed,” he told reporters.

The assistance comes even as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to slash funding in support of global health efforts, which include projects to fight disease and encourage maternal health.

A budget proposal released on Monday, but which has already met fierce opposition in Congress, would cut global health spending by nearly half to just under $6 billion in the 2021 fiscal year.

Richardson said Laos – along with Pacific island states, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea – were considered priorities in the budget as the US hopes to show an alternative to an increasingly assertive China.