Fifth batch of medical supplies arrives in Cyprus from China

The Cypriot Health Ministry announced on Friday that the fifth batch of medical consumables from China has arrived in the country.

The shipment, including protective masks, testing swaps and shoe covers, landed on Thursday and will be distributed to the State Health Services hospitals, the ministry said in a statement.

Like previous batches of medical supplies, part of the consumables arriving on Thursday was a donation by China, Chinese Embassy in Cyprus told Xinhua. To date, about 35 tons of medical supplies have landed in Cyprus via weekly flights from China.

The Health Ministry expressed its "warmest thanks" to China for the donation, said the statement.

In an article posted on Wednesday in the Embassy's social media account, the Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus, Huang Xingyuan, praised Cypriot authorities for achieving "remarkable results" in curbing the coronavirus pandemic.

He said what has been achieved by Cyprus is a "miracle as compared to the entire European continent, which has fallen as a whole and seen a relatively high rate of infections."

"Dawn is ahead, but there is still a long way to go before achieving a full victory against the pandemic," the ambassador said, adding that he was confident that Cyprus will win the battle.

Cyprus reported five new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 795.