Isha Sesay
THIS is the moment the first Russian plane chartered by the Government of the Balearic Islands landed at Son Sant Joan airport from China.
The aircraft was stockpiled with over 17 tonnes of medical equipment and supplies which will be distributed at hospitals across Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza.
This includes ICU respirators, half a million clinical face masks, 10,000 rapid response COVID-19 tests, as well as millions of gloves, hospital gowns and packs of hand sanitiser.
Speaking at a press conference this morning, the Minister of Health, Patricia Gomez, announced the successful arrival of the aircraft commonly used by the Russian army to transport goods.
Gomez assured that the coronavirus tests that have been purchased from China are different from the faulty ones bought by the Spanish Government last week.
She stressed that they were ‘valid’ and have already passed an audit conducted by the Microbiology Department at Son Espases Hospital.
Probed on the overwhelming criticism that the Government has received in recent days about the shortage of vital supplies at hospitals, Gomez said healthcare professionals would now have everything at their disposal to protect themselves from coronavirus.
It comes as 42 more people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Balearic Islands, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,000.
Revealing the latest figures, Gomez explained that she was ‘moderately optimistic’ as the growth rate of infections has now started to decrease.
