Turkey sends medical aid to Tunisia to address COVID-19

A Turkish military plane carrying medical supplies arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday to help the country in its efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The medical supplies include 50,000 coronavirus vaccine doses, 30 ventilators and an oxygen generator for a 150-bed capacity hospital, the Turkish Embassy in Tunisia said in a statement.

It also includes 100,000 coronavirus testing kits, 500,000 medical masks, 50,000 sterilized gloves and another 100,000 disposable gloves, the statement added.

"As two friendly and brotherly countries, Turkey and Tunisia will remain united under all circumstances. This solidarity comes at the core of partnership and friendship between the two peoples," the embassy said.

In May 2020, Turkey sent medical supplies to Tunisia to help it fight the pandemic and also offered in December of the same year a grant of 5 million euros ($ 5.9 million) to address the COVID-19 virus.

On Friday, the Tunisian health authorities said the country was facing an unprecedented wave of virus infections amid a wide spread of the new Delta variant.

On Monday, the Health Ministry reported 106 deaths and 4,310 infections from the virus, taking the nationwide tally to 501,923 cases, including 494 fatalities.