On January 11, the Chinese ambassador to Liberia H.E. Ren Yisheng attended the donation ceremony of Chinese government-aided Lassa fever medication and Personal Protective Equipment(PPEs) held at the National Public Health Institute of Liberia(NPHIL). Liberian Chief Medical Officer and Vice Minister of Health Dr. Kateh, NPHIL Director General Dr. MsCauley, WHO Deputy Representative in Liberia Dr. Duworko, Mr. Li Jiang, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy, and Dr. Zhang Hao, Captain of the China Medical Team, attended the ceremony.

Ambassador Ren said that upon learning that the Lassa fever medication Ribavirin was exhausted and receiving a request for assistance from the Liberian government, China attached great importance to it and we dispatched 300 doses of ribavirin injection from the China Medical Team for Liberia's emergency use. We have also urgently purchased more than 10,000 boxes of Ribavirin injections and tablets from China to support Liberia's fight against Lassa fever.

Ambassador Ren said that since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Liberian government and people have actively supported China's fight against the epidemic, and the government has provided facilitation for the COVID tests and treatment to Chinese citizens in Liberia. The Chinese government and non-governmental organizations, Chinese-funded enterprises and the Chinese community in Liberia also have donated several batches of medical materials and daily necessities to Liberia. To support the anti-pandemic efforts of Liberia, the Chinese side has decided to donate another 1,800 sets of PPEs to Liberia. China will continue to strengthen cooperation with Liberia in the field of health, including by exploring cooperation on Covid-19 vaccines.

Speaking on behalf of the Liberian government, Deputy Minister Kateh thanked China for donating Lassa fever medication to Liberia, and said that whether it is Ebola or Covid-19, whenever an epidemic breaks out in Liberia, China is always the first country to lend a helping hand. Liberia cherishes the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries and hopes to continuously strengthen scientific research cooperation with China in the field of health.

The WHO representative thanked China for providing urgently needed medical supplies to Liberia in a timely manner, and expressed that WHO is willing to strengthen partnership with China to jointly promote the health cause of Liberia.