Chinese billionaire Jack Ma pledged last week to donate half a billion COVID-19 testing kits and one million face masks to the US, Business Insider reports.
In an update on Twitter - his first-ever tweet - the Alibaba founder wrote that "the first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US is taking off from Shanghai. All the best to our friends in America."
The first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US is taking off from Shanghai. All the best to our friends in America. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/LTn26gvlOl
- Jack Ma (@JackMa) March 16, 2020
His pledge, however, raises plenty of questions. We don't know where the testing kits are going, who will distribute them, or who will end up using them.
But if there's one thing that's for certain, it's that the US is far behind in terms of per capita testing when compared to the most of the developed world.
"Drawing from my own country's experience, speedy and accurate testing and adequate personal protective equipment for medical professionals are most effective in preventing the spread of the virus," read a statement posted to Twitter by the Jack Ma Foundation.
According to the statement, Ma's foundation also donated materials to other afflicted areas in Japan, Korea, Italy, Iran, and Spain.
In January, Ma also donated $14.5 million towards a coronavirus vaccine.
"At this moment, we can't beat this virus unless we eliminate boundaries to resources and share our know-how and hard-earned lessons," Ma wrote in the statement. "United we stand, divided fall!"
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