THE Shenzhen government has donated 1.5 million face masks to 37 cities and institutions in 24 countries, including the U.S., Japan, the U.K. and Italy, in the city’s latest effort to aid the international community in the fight against COVID-19, a Nanfang Daily report said yesterday.

As a face mask manufacturer authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Shenzhen Winner Medical Care has so far exported 20 million masks to foreign countries and the number could rise to 100 million by the end of this month, as per Li Jianquan, president of the company.

“We can produce 6 million masks a day and the orders have been arranged until June,” said Li.

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-medical Electronics Co. Ltd. has delivered 40,000 pieces of medical equipment including ventilators and patient monitors to other countries since Jan. 24.

“We have received orders from more than 100 countries and regions and workers have had to work 24 hours a day in three shifts to ensure maximum production,” said Wu Hao, executive vice president of Mindray.

Shenzhen Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries have received requests for help from 30 cities of 27 countries.

“The city is now organizing materials and will donate to the countries under the Belt and Road Initiative,” Gu Ting, vice chairperson with the association, said.

Drones manufactured by DJI, a world-leading drone maker based in Shenzhen, are in wide use in many countries to help contain the coronavirus. DJI’s drones make up 75 percent of the global drone market.

“We have helped 43 governments in 22 states of the United States roll out plans to use drones in the fight,” said Xie Tiandi, DJI’s PR director.

Shenzhen Foundation of International Exchanges and Cooperation and other social organizations have donated 320,000 masks, 700 pieces of protective clothing and six air disinfection devices to eight sister cities of Shenzhen since March.

Shenzhen Mammoth Foundation and BGI also donated 37,950 nucleic acid test kits to 34 countries and regions. Another 17,000 test kits are under way.

From March 6 to April 8, Shenzhen Customs has handled 380 million pieces of anti-virus supplies exported to Shenzhen’s sister cities and facilitated cargo planes from Spain, Iran, Romania, Oman, Italy and the Czech Republic to send materials to their countries from Shenzhen since March.

Shenzhen Bus Group also shared its measures to combat the coronavirus within the public transport system with sister cities through teleconferences.

(Han Ximin)