Trump offers $225 million in foreign assistance

He says the money would be for diagnosis, prevention and control, and bolstering national health systems.

White House Coronavirus Task Force Holds Daily Briefing At The White House — Vice President Mike Pence, President Donald Trump, Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir and Dr. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator, speak to reporters following a meeting of his coronavirus task force in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 06, 2020 in Washington, DC. Infected with COIVD-19, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted intensive care at a hospital in London Monday as the U.S. death toll surpassed 10,000.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced an additional $225 million in foreign assistance to help countries around the world combat the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total to nearly half a billion dollars.

The new assistance won’t include personal protective equipment due to the high domestic demand for such supplies in the U.S. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says it is intended to help foreign nations boost their response to the COVID-19 virus.

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He says the money would be for diagnosis, prevention and control, and bolstering national health systems. It could also prepare laboratories to deal with testing and train medical workers.

Last month, the U.S. announced $274 million in virus prevention and treatment assistance to 64 countries

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