ADB approves $2 mln to support combating novel coronavirus

MANILA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved 2 million US dollars in funding to support efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In a statement in Manila today, the bank said the funds will supplement ongoing regional technical assistance and strengthen response capacity in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

“ADB has a track record of providing rapid and targeted support to our members in emergency situations,” said ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa. “We stand ready to provide further assistance as required.”

it must be noted that at least 722 people have died from the virus in China while more than 34,000 have been infected, according to the latest official figures.

Two people have died from the virus outside the mainland: a man from Wuhan in the Philippines and a 39-year-old man in Hong Kong.

A US citizen has died from the new coronavirus at the epicentre of the epidemic in China, the US embassy said Saturday.

“We can confirm that a 60-year-old US citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at a hospital in Wuhan, China, on February 6,” an embassy spokesman told AFP, without specifying the person’s gender.