Crypto’s Coronavirus Response: Binance Donates Medical Supplies to Wuhan

The global crypto community continues the fight against coronavirus: Binance Charity Foundation announced the donation of protective suits, gloves, goggles and oxygen machines to medical institutions in China’s Wuhan province, as part of its ‘Binance for Wuhan’ initiative.  

On March 9, the Binance Charity Foundation (BCF) announced that it had concluded the second phase of its ‘Binance for Wuhan’ donation project, which involved the donation of medical supplies to the coronavirus-ridden province.

As a part of the BCF initiative, the company distributed six batches of medical supplies to over 130 hospitals, medical teams, and disease control command centers located in the Wuhan province.

BCF has been working to tackle the coronavirus pandemic since the beginning: last month, the organization pledged over $1.5 million to help infected victims and announced that it would distribute over 70,000 N95 masks in the Wuhan province.

 Summary of Aid Rendered

According to the Binance Charity report, the medical supplies included around 3,300 protective suits, 388 oxygen machines, 133,000 pieces of PVC gloves, and 10,000 pairs of protective goggles. The protective gear was acquired from Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Binance highlighted that a critical part of its contribution was the donation of oxygen machines.

The organization talked to medical centers treating coronavirus patients in China. They were informed that oxygen machines were essential to prolonging patients’ lives and giving medical teams valuable time to determine further avenues of treatment.

Binance Charity purchased the machines from a local manufacturer and donated them to the Guangdong Zhong Nanshan Medical Foundation, which is working at the frontlines of the medical response of coronavirus.

The Foundation was given full discretion as to the distribution of the machines since they were best suited to determine which centers had the most demand. The machines were divided between 44 hospitals.

The entire donation process was coordinated between multiple stakeholders (including suppliers and beneficiaries) with a high degree of efficiency, according to the BCF report.

Projected Impact of Medical Aid Supplied

In its blog post, BCF stated that it was confident that its recent round of donation of medical supplies would be instrumental in controlling the pandemic and halting the spread of the disease even further.

BCF contacted hospitals to determine the supplies that they needed and subsequently sourced high-quality equipment from across the world.

These supplies were then distributed to the beneficiaries with the help of local authorities and charity organizations working on the ground. BCF’s report highlighted that they also worked in sync with customs clearance companies, which allowed them to pass the customs channels smoothly and without paying any taxes.

With this donation to medical centers treating coronavirus, BCF hopes that there will be significant progress in the battle against the virus. Binance further anticipates that healthcare workers will have the necessary resources at their disposal to not only treat patients but also protect themselves.

BCF reiterated that they would continue their efforts until the crisis ends:

https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1237004956344946688

Severe Shortage of Medical Supplies Amidst Coronavirus

Since the sudden outbreak of coronavirus, the massive number of cases of infections in China have placed considerable strain on the medical services of the region. Furthermore, the state’s delayed political response overwhelmed Wuhan and Hubei’s healthcare system and put a traumatic toll on medical workers.

The severe shortage of protective gear has forced medical personnel to treat patients without taking necessary precautions and thus risking infecting themselves. Consequently, several doctors and nurses have been diagnosed with coronavirus and have lost their lives working on the frontlines of the pandemic.

According to the World Health Organization, almost 3,400 health care workers have been infected with the disease, of which more than 90 per cent contracted it while working at the epicenter of the outbreak. At least 18 medical workers are reported dead.

For instance, Liu Zhiming, director of Wuhan’s Wuchang Hospital and a respected neurosurgeon in Hubei, was diagnosed with Covid-19 in late January after leading the medical institutions’ coronavirus response. He passed away on February 18, after refusing care from his wife – a nurse working on the frontline of the coronavirus response – because of fears of making her sick too.

Mahima Duggal

Mahima Duggal has completed her MA in International Security from the University of Warwick (UK) with distinction. She also holds a BSc (2:1 Honours) in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is a trained journalist who has completed an undergraduate degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Newcastle in Australia. Mahima's research interests involve technology, cyber security, human rights and international development. She follows all things crypto and strongly promotes the use of blockchain technology for social change.

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