US Announces $8.4 Million Aid To Help Pakistan In Fight Against Coronavirus Pandemic

United States will provide aid of USD 8.4 million to Pakistan in its fight against coronavirus. The contributions are fully paid for by the American people.

(File Photo/ Getty)

Islamabad: United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Paul Jones announced on Friday, that United States will provide aid of USD 8.4 million to Pakistan in its fight against coronavirus. "With more than $8 million in new contributions, the United States is collaborating with the government of Pakistan to help stop the spread of coronavirus nationwide and to care for afflicted people," Jones said in a video message. He added that all of these contributions are identified as top priority needs by the Pakistani authorities, and they are fully paid for by the American people. Around USD 3 million from the total sum of aid will be used sed to provide three new mobile labs in Pakistan's coronavirus hotspots to increase it's testing and monitoring capacity, Dawn reported. Part of the contribution will also be used to train healthcare workers to reach people in their homes so that burden on hospitals can be reduced. Pakistan has reported 7476 coronavirus cases so far. The countries death toll stands at 143. The outbreak of Covid-19 is having a significant impact on Pakistan's economy. The domestic containment measures, coupled with the global downturn, are severely affecting growth and straining external financing. This has created an urgent balance of payments need. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday approved USD 1.3 billion in emergency financing to help Pakistan in facing the economic impact of  Covid-19. (With Agency Input.) Watch: Donald Trump: China reports more COVID-19 deaths than US