DAMASCUS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday donated 8.8 tons of protective and medical supplies to Syria to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, state news agency SANA reported.
The shipment, delivered to the country through the Damascus International Airport, included personal protection gear for health workers as well as medications and other medical equipment, said the report.
After signing a receipt note, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said the WHO was able to supply the Eastern Mediterranean countries with various necessary needs.
He said the WHO provided laboratory aids for disease diagnosis and training courses for health workers in addition to working on providing them with personal protection needs and drawing plans to implement what the science has reached to deal with the pandemic.
For his side, Syrian Health Minister Assistant Ahmad Khleifawi stressed the importance of the visit of the WHO delegation as it is the first for the organization's regional director to Syria after the outbreak of the pandemic.
The overall official number of COVID-19 cases in Syria is 5,319, including 1,692 recoveries and 264 deaths.