The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has donated critical medical supplies to the Chinese government to support its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two batches of supplies were sent from Beijing and Shanghai to Wuhan in Hubei province – the epicenter of the outbreak in China – on Thursday and Friday.

The medical supplies, which include non-invasive ventilators, patient monitoring systems and infusion pumps, will be used for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in Hubei province, FAO China office said on Saturday.

The FAO China office is in close contact with the relevant Chinese authorities to ensure that supplies are delivered to the hospitals as soon as possible, it said.

"In recent months, we have seen the expression of human values, solidarity, people proactively willing to help each other, and the joining of hands with the Chinese government to control the spread of this disease. It was a 'whole-of-society' effort to overcome the epidemic," said Vincent Martin, the FAO representative in China and DPRK.

"Although there are still new cases and patients being treated in China, we believe that the epidemic – now a global pandemic– will soon be fully under control in this country, and we hope that our donation and follow-up work will contribute to the emergency and recovery efforts," Martin added.

In addition to donating medical supplies, FAO will also conduct surveys and technical consultations with the Chinese government, with a particular focus on reviewing and understanding the emergence of the virus at the animal-human interface and its impact on people's livelihood, the FAO China office said.