SHANGHAI, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Medical supplies funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation, a philanthropic arm of the U.S.-based beverage giant Coca-Cola, arrived in Shanghai late Friday, as China seeks to overcome the protective gear shortage to stem the COVID-19 outbreak.
The medical supplies, consisting of 1.5 million surgical masks and 40,000 isolation gowns, were purchased and delivered from the United States through a grant of 500,000 U.S. dollars from the Coca-Cola Foundation to its nonprofit partner, MedShare.
Encouraging words were seen on the labels attached to the boxes of the supplies, reading "I'll be there for you" in English and "It will be all right" in Chinese.
The supplies will be distributed to hospitals and fever clinics designated for coronavirus treatment as well as community workers on the front line of epidemic prevention in Shanghai.
"With this donation, we pay tribute to medical workers battling the outbreak for their hard work and sacrifices," said Curt Ferguson, president of Coca-Cola Greater China and Korea.
The move was the latest effort for Coca-Cola to support China's containment of the coronavirus. Coca-Cola China has donated 650,000 U.S. dollars in cash to virus-hit Wuhan and Hubei Province, and more than 1 million bottles of drinking water and other beverages to civil servants, medical staff and volunteers battling the outbreak across China.
Like Coca-Cola, many foreign companies have lent a helping hand to China in its fight against the epidemic.
Over 200 foreign companies in China had donated cash and materials worth over 1.3 billion yuan (about 186 million U.S. dollars) for the novel coronavirus control efforts in China as of Monday, according to the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment.
