Nation offers helping hand to countries hit by virus

With the number of new novel coronavirus cases in China slowing, the government is helping other countries battle the contagion. China has already sent medical teams and supplies to Italy, Iran and Iraq to assist in confronting the outbreak.

On Thursday, a charter flight from Shanghai carrying a nine-member Chinese aid team, along with tons of medical supplies, arrived at Rome's Fiumicino Airport.

The airliner was loaded with more than 700 pieces of equipment and goods including ventilators, monitors and defibrillators. The team was organized by the National Health Commission and the Red Cross Society of China.

"We brought 30 sets of ICU equipment," one of the team members wearing a surgical mask told the media after landing.

The equipment was selected according to Italy's requirements and had proved useful during clinical practices in China, according to Ruijin Hospital of the School of Medicine at Shanghai Jiaotong University, which prepared the equipment.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio expressed his thanks on Facebook. "Tonight Italy is not alone. Many people in the world are supporting us," he said.

Beppe Grillo, former leader of the Five Star Movement political party, wrote on his blog on Thursday: "Another lesson comes from China, during these days in which Italy is facing great difficulties. As one of our proverbs says－'A friend's love is forever, he is born to be a friend in misfortune'."

Francesco Rocca, president of the Italian Red Cross Society, said he appreciated the Chinese experts who went to Italy to offer help and thanked the Red Cross Society of China with its team of experts and aid, his organization posted on Twitter.

The Chinese experts and equipment arrived as the death toll from the outbreak in Italy topped 1,000 on Thursday among more than 15,000 confirmed cases, making it the hardest-hit country in Europe.

In Baghdad, Iraq, another team of seven Chinese experts has been busy visiting Iraqi hospitals and talking with health experts and officials to help the war-torn country's health system cope with the virus.

The team, which arrived on March 8, also brought medical equipment and 50,000 test kits. Their advice and the urgently-needed medical supplies are expected to significantly improve Iraq's coronavirus detection capability.

"We will try to help contain the outbreak from the early stage," said team leader Tao Zhongquan, adding that the aim for Iraq is to achieve early detection, early isolation, early diagnosis and early treatment.

As of Thursday, 83 cases had been confirmed in Iraq, including eight deaths. The infections were reported in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces, with Baghdad, the capital of more than 7 million people, being the hardest hit.

After a field investigation, Chinese expert Han Mengjie said Iraq is at "the early stage" of its COVID-19 outbreak, and a strong response may curb a spread of the virus, with the Chinese working with the Iraqi government to help curb the contagion.

Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi on Monday praised China's boosting of Iraq's medical capabilities in battling the outbreak.

China has also already made a donation to the World Health Organization, provided masks and protective gowns to South Korea, sent test kits to Pakistan, Japan, Iran and the African Union, and sent experts to Iran.

Xinhua and other agencies contributed to this story.