US announces $1mn aid for Pakistan to combat coronavirus

• "US government is responding to coronavirus in Pakistan with initial $1 million under USAID programme," Alice Wells tweeted.

The United States announced on Friday that it will fund one million dollars to Pakistan for it to fight the novel coronavirus.

In Pakistan more than 450 people have been infected with the virus, with the country reporting its first two deaths on Wednesday due to the virus.

In a tweet United States Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells said that the US and Pakistan are longstanding partners in tackling global health challenges.

She further said that the US will provide one million dollars to Pakistan under USAID programme to 'bolster the monitoring and rapid response against coronavirus'.

And the U.S. and #Pakistan are longstanding partners in tackling global health challenges. There are 100+ recent Pakistani graduates of @CDCgov's epidemiology lab training on the ground investigating #COVID19 cases in #GilgitBaltistan & #Punjab right now. AGW #Partners4Prosperity

— State_SCA (@State_SCA) March 19, 2020

In another tweet, Wells said there are over a 100 Pakistani graduates engaged in the lab training of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, investigating Coronavirus cases in Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.