Zambian Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya (R) and Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Jie attend a donation ceremony of COVID-19 preventative materials in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, on Sept. 25, 2020. China on Friday delivered more COVID-19 preventative materials to Zambia.Photo:Xinhua

China on Friday delivered more COVID-19 preventative materials to Zambia.

Li Jie, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, said the international community still needs to support Zambia as the country has continued to see a rise in both new cases and deaths.

He said the two countries have been all-weather friends for a long time and that the two sides have been united in fighting the pandemic since it broke out in the southern African nation.

"These supplies have just arrived in Zambia by air. I am handing over them to the Ministry of Health. I believe they will play a positive role in the treatment of critically ill patients and the protection of medical staff," he said.

The Chinese envoy noted that despite the difficulties in face-to-face communication caused by the pandemic, the China-Zambia cooperation has been advancing.

He pledged that China was ready to support Zambia and other African countries as soon as the COVID-19 vaccine was put into use.

On his part, Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said China was taking the lead in supporting Zambia not only in the fight against the pandemic but in the health sector in general.

Zambia, he said, will remain indebted to the support rendered by China not only in the provision of health materials but infrastructure in the health sector.

He noted that the donation will change the landscape in the way Zambia was managing COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 24 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours out of 1,737 tests done. This brings the cumulative cases to 14,515 while deaths stand at 332.