Putin offers to send medical personnel & equipment to help Italy contain coronavirus outbreak

Source: RT

March 21, 2020 at 22:27

Italian medical worker wearing a protective mask and suit treats patients suffering from the coronavirus. © Reuters / Flavio Lo Scalzo

Following an appeal by Italian PM Giuseppe Conte, in a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Russia is ready to send teams of doctors, plus protective gear and medical equipment, to Italy to help with the country's Covid-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus is spreading like wildfire in the southern European country, where nearly 800 people succumbed to the disease on Saturday alone: The largest daily loss since the start of the pandemic.

The overall number of deaths in Italy now stands at 4,825, with 53,578 infected, having long surpassed China, where the virus originated.

The Russian President voiced his support to the leadership in Rome and the Italian people as he spoke with Conte, according to the Kremlin. But it wasn’t just words, as he said Russia was willing to provide protective gear, mobile sanitizers and other medical equipment to Italy.

Eight teams of Russian military medics and virology experts are already on standby and could be deployed to Italy as early as Sunday, once Rome greenlights the move, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed.

“In response to a request from the Italian side, the Russian president confirmed his readiness to promptly provide the necessary assistance and outlined the specific parameters [of what Russia can offer],” the Kremlin's press service reported. It further noted that Putin initiated the phone call with Conte.

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