* Items include 30million test kits, 10,000 ventilators, 80million masks 鈹�Cyril Ramaphosa

Web Editor | 绿帽献妻

In an attempt to further help the continent to deal with the ravaging novel COVID-19 pandemic, China will supply millions of Coronavirus test kits and masks to Africa, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.

African nations have over 142,289 cases of COVID-19, with more than 4,084 deaths from the disease, according to data from the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Bloomberg.

The continent has experienced shortages of diagnostic equipment and therapeutic medical supplies.

It was learnt that China would ship as many as 30 million test kits, 10,000 ventilators and 80 million masks a month to Africa, President Ramaphosa said in a briefing to reporters broadcast online Sunday, May 31.

According to the report, Ramaphosa held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping about securing the supplies earlier in the week, he said.

He stated: 鈥淲hat we are now doing is to set up a procurement platform, which we are going to launch next week, which will allow every country on the continent to be able to procure from a central place and benefit鈥� from the Chinese shipments.

State-owned carriers South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines Group and Kenya Airways Plc will deliver the shipments to Africa nations, he noted.

The South African President said: 鈥淭his is going to give a great boost to South African Airways, because this process will be going on for many months.鈥�