As part of US assistance to Bangladesh's COVID-19 response efforts, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and representatives of the US military's Indo-Pacific Command today handed over essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD).

FSCD Director (Training, Planning, and Development) LTC Zulfiker Rahman and Assistant Director Mohammed Abdul Momen received the PPE, said a US embassy press statement.

The equipment delivered today includes 1,000 KN95 surgical masks, eight hundred 200-millilitre bottles of hand sanitisers, 500 pairs of surgical gloves, 300 hazardous materials suits, 100 protective masks, and 50 medical goggles.

All equipment was sourced locally from Bangladeshi companies.

Ministries of health and home affairs will distribute the PPE equipment to FSCD first responders working to protect local communities against the spread of Covid-19. The PPE will enable FSCD first responders to respond quickly and safely to individuals who may be displaying Covid-19 symptoms.

The statement said the US Embassy Dhaka continues working in close partnership with the government on a range of programs to identify and alleviate critical medical shortages across the country, including the distribution of PPE and other medical supplies to Bangladesh first responders and designated COVID-19 medical treatment facilities.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the US government has committed more than $900 million worldwide in emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organisations, and NGOs fight the pandemic.

FSCD first responders are critical front-line workers confronting this crisis. They, together with health care workers, police, journalists and photojournalists, people who work in grocery stores and pharmacies and other businesses, and in non-governmental and community organizations, perform remarkable acts of service every day, the statement said.

"You are all genuine heroes … You deserve our immense gratitude," Ambassador Miller said.

To date, the US government has provided over $22 million to complement Bangladesh government's ongoing efforts to prepare and respond to the spread of Covid-19 to improve rapid diagnosis, increase knowledge and dispel myths and misconceptions about the disease, and support heroic frontline personnel.