The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated on July 29, a second shipment of 200 brand new, state-of-the-art ventilators to Brazil to assist its fight against COVID-19.
The ventilators, produced in the United States, reflect leading-edge and in-demand technology. They are compact, deployable, and provide Brazil with flexibility in treating patients affected by the virus. For patients whose lungs are not working adequately despite receiving oxygen, this vital resource may prove lifesaving.
U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, Todd C. Chapman, highlighted the initiative: “We continue to deliver on the agenda President Trump set to strengthen our relationship with Brazil. With now this second shipment of 200 ventilators, we are delivering on the promise by President Trump. These ventilators are intended to assist those Brazilians who need them most.”
USAID is funding a tailored package of additional support, which includes service and warranty, as well as accessories such as monitoring equipment, tubes, and filters. This donation builds on the more than $15 million that the U.S. government has committed to Brazil in response to the pandemic, and approximately $55 million from U.S. companies in Brazil.
Other U.S. government-funded efforts include emergency activities in health, water, sanitation, and hygiene; immediate support to vulnerable communities in the Amazon, including risk-communications and community engagement; the prevention and control of infections in health facilities, water and sanitation, and disease-surveillance and rapid response; support for refugees and host communities as they deal with the pandemic; and incentives to the private sector to address the non-health impacts of the disease on rural and vulnerable urban populations.
On July 21, the U.S. government, though the Department of Defense, announced it will donate a field hospital in Bacanal, a city 240 kilometers from São Luís, Maranhão state, which will have 40 beds, stretchers, air conditioners, cleaning supplies, and power generators. In addition to the hospital structure and supplies, the U.S. will donate $50,000 in kits with personal hygiene products and $50,000 in foods baskets to the state of Maranhão.
For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance.