A WHO official tags a supply box at the Dubai Airport.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHOEMRO) in Dubai has sent medical supplies to infected countries in the Asia-Pacific and in the region.

The WHO said on Twitter, “From its regional hub in Dubai, @WHOEMRO is delivering infection prevention and control materials for 2019 nCoV response to 12 priority countries in the Western Pacific Region, 9 priority countries in South-East Asia and 10 priority countries in our region.”

Facemasks and gloves are being loaded onto a box at the airport.

It also said, “The emergency infection prevention and control medical supplies include gloves, masks, gowns, and sanitisers to support response efforts for up to 6,000 health workers..."

The first flight took off from Dubai on 4 February to the Philippines.

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An additional 7 million examination gloves, 5 million surgical masks, and 1 million gowns are also being procured to support the health response to Coronavirus and protect health workers as they identify, diagnose and treat patients.

The WHO office in Dubai said, “Countries in our Region have technical expertise to carry out #2019nCoV testing and diagnosis through national labs and many have sufficient required kits. The WHO EMRO is delivering more kits to scale up case detection and response capacity. To date only 5 cases confirmed in UAE.”

Experts work at a laboratory in the UAE.

Recently, the UAE Health authorities jointly emphasized the need for the public to refrain from spreading unnecessary and un-verified statements regarding circumstances and conditions concerning the new global pandemic, Novel Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV). These also released three hotlines through which everyone is encouraged to use “for any medical support or inquiry.”

The authorities were the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP), Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi (DoH) which released to the media a 42-page tri-lingual (Arabic-English-Mandarin) document with the following following contact numbers: 8001717 (DoH-Operations Centre Estijaba service), 80011111 (MoHaP), and 800342 (DHA).

The document also contained, among others, advice on what incoming travelers from China must do, particularly when un-well.

These are: Seek medical care right away. Notify the hospital ahead about recent travel and signs and symptoms. Isolate oneself and avoid contact with others. Avoid travel. Observe the cough-and-cold etiquette with a tissue or sleeves and not with one’s hands. Wash hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer for at least 20 minutes.

In China’s Hubei province, 64 new fatalities were reported on Tuesday. The number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus outbreak has spiked to 425.