The Nigerian government on Tuesday received 200 ventilators from the United States, a fulfilment of the promise made by Donald Trump, President of the United States in a telephone conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari in April.

The ventilators were received by Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Abuja.

The delivery of the machines according to Ehanire is part of the government’s strategy to administer swift response to patients in critical state of COVID-19 infections.

Ehanire said: “This donation consists of 200 ventilators, which, as we all know by now, are a critical component of the response strategy to save the lives of persons who have been severely impacted by this viral infection.

“They will certainly be of great benefit to the people of Nigeria and I wish to convey the appreciation of His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and of the government of Nigeria, to President Donald Trump and the United States Government for the generous consideration and friendly gesture.

“The Federal Ministry of Health, and its public health Agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), have focused on providing guidance to tackle the challenges.

“Our health workers have been trained and equipped and are doing the needful to attend to COVID-19 patients and give emergency care, while not losing sight of routine and essential health services.

”The health minister while commending the efforts of the U.S on the donation of the ventilators urged the the country to join forces with other countries in coming out with a vaccine which is the only way out in eradicating the scourge of virus globally.

“The speed and ease with which COVID-19 has spread across the globe clearly shows that it is a threat to mankind. Without the full collaboration of all nations, the threat of COVID-19 to any one part of the world is a threat to all,” he said.

The Nigerian government since the wake of the pandemic has spent billions of naira with joint efforts from the private sector in providing the best medical care to over 40,000 patients in the country infected with the virus.

While other countries in Europe and some parts of Asia are to some extent flattening the curve the narrative is different in the country and the continent as a whole, however, the country’s Centre for Disease Control experts citizens to at all times observe the laid COVID-19 protocols as the best way to minimise the spread of virus.

Although, according to figures by the NCDC, there have been relative reduction of number of new cases in recent weeks which experts believe that the country may be heading towards the peak but that is yet to come.