The United States has committed up to $100 million in aid to help China and other countries dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
“This commitment — along with the hundreds of millions generously donated by the American private sector — demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak,” Pompeo said in a Friday statement.
Proud to announce an additional $100M of existing funds to support #China in combating the #coronavirus. This commitment – along w/ hundreds of millions generously donated – demonstrates strong U.S. leadership in response to the outbreak. Together we can have a profound impact.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 7, 2020
As of Friday, more than 31,500 people have been infected by the virus, which was first identified in late December in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has since spread throughout the country and to others, including the U.S., where a dozen people have gotten sick. The virus has killed at least 638 people, mostly in the Chinese mainland.
Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said during a briefing that the funding would bolster response efforts by the World Health Organization and noted that the U.S. has additionally sent almost 17.8 tons of medical supplies to China.
Experts believe that China could have far more cases of the infection than it has reported. On Thursday, China drastically increased its coronavirus containment efforts in Wuhan and ordered authorities to go house-to-house and send those infected to quarantine internment camps.
“Set up a 24-hour duty system. During these wartime conditions, there must be no deserters, or they will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame forever,” said Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan.
On that same day, the doctor who tried to warn the public early on about the coronavirus and was subsequently punished by the government died after contracting the virus. The WHO has declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.
