By Sidi Mohamed | The Peninsula
The Ambassador of China to Qatar, Zhou Jian, has said that Qatar has all facilities and medical capabilities to control and overcome the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Ambassador also said that China will never forget the help lent by Qatar when the country was passing through a most difficult time.
“Now, Qatar is also facing COVID-19 and the Chinese people stand together with the Qatari people and are ready to provide any necessary help. We have already shared and will continue sharing our latest guidelines and experiences in control and treatment of COVID-19. We will provide technical support through video conference between Health Authorities and medical experts and ready to offer available medical supplies and test kits when needed,” said the Ambassador.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, the Chinese envoy said that China will also explore joint prevention and control works, taking health cooperation to new heights in bilateral ties. “Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Doha Branch will donate 1million pairs of medical gloves and 7,000 sets of protective gear. Other Chinese companies are also on their way to collect supplies for Qatar.”
“I am fully confident that the Qatari government will continue its scientific response. Qatar has all facilities and medical capabilities to control and overcome this epidemic,” he said.
He added: “We noticed that under the leadership of Amir
HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Ministry of Public Health and other departments jointly responded first-hand and has taken a series of timely and decisive measures. H H personally ordered the use of charter flights to withdraw citizens from Iran, followed by an immediate quarantine,” he said.
The Ambassador said: “At Hamad International Airport, we can see thermal scanning and special clinics to check suspected cases; also the government has provided accommodations for those in need of quarantine, and designated the Communicable Diseases Center for specialized treatments.”
All these measures, he said, have effectively safeguarded the health and safety of Qatari citizens and expatriates. “At present, the risk of a spread in Qatar still remains under control. We would like to express our sincere appreciation for these pragmatic and efficient actions to deal with the epidemic.”
About the situation in China, the Ambassador noted: “We hope to see zero new cases across China by the end of April. We have seen positive progress in the containment of the virus. The situation in Hubei and Wuhan is stabilizing and turning better. By March 10, the number of newly-diagnosed cases nationwide decreased from peak-time thousands to only 24 cases.”
He said that many factories started full-power production of medical supplies. “The whole nation donated money, masks, medical equipment, sterilizers, and even vegetables and fruits to Hubei and Wuhan. Thanks to the support for the whole country, the medical system in Hubei has stood the test of the virus and played a key role in containment works,” he added.
The Ambassador said that facing the sudden outbreak and a brand new virus, China had to find an effective solution from ground zero and perfecting our measures through experience. “We provide free testing and free treatment and did everything we could to raise the cure rate. We have held more than a hundred press conferences in an open and transparent manner, released information timely to respond to public concerns.”
