HCM City (VNA) – The Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA) on February 21 presented the first package ofbiologicals worth 1 million JPY (over 8,900 USD) to the Pasteur Institute in HoChi Minh City in support of its response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)outbreak.

It was part of a 4 million JPY package that JICA planned todonate to the Pasteur Institute.

The Pasteur Institute currently manages diseases controlcentres of 20 southern provinces and cities. It was assigned by the Ministry ofHealth to test suspected cases of COVID-19 infection in the south.

On February 7, JICA also granted the first package ofbiologicals valued at 14 million JPY to the Hanoi-based National Institute ofHygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE).

The total amount of its assistance for Vietnam in the fightagainst COVID-19 is estimated at 20 million JPY (178,800 USD).

In order to help Vietnam cope with dangerous infectiousdiseases, the Japanese Government has provided the country with non-refundableaid packages to launch level-3 bio-safety rooms, offer technical assistance toimprove the capacity of labs on bio safety and highly hazardous infectiouspathogen.

For the third stage of the project on improving the capacityof labs on bio safety and highly hazardous infectious pathogen, the Japaneseside already sent two experts to work for a long term at the NIHE./.