On 23 March, Saudi Arabia helped airlift WHO medical equipment and supplies from WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai to Aden, Yemen. The shipment, which included personal protective items for health workers, laboratory screening tests, trauma medication and other medical supplies, was to be distributed to Sana’a and Aden to support readiness for COVID-19, as well as to the humanitarian response to the ongoing conflict. On 9 March, Saudi Arabia delivered a shipment of medical equipment to Wuhan city in China. In response to an urgent WHO appeal, Saudi Arabia donated US$ 10 million to support all countries of the Region in their national COVID-19 response. An additional US$ 10 million will go to provide WHO Yemen with essential equipment and supplies for the national readiness and response plan. “Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 know no borders. We have seen how a public health threat in one country can quickly affected entire regions and spread to become a global pandemic. This funding will help WHO intensify its efforts as it takes regional and global action to combat the spread of the disease,” says Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
