Only a few months after donating $70 million in support of bushfire relief, WA’s most loved mining magnate Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest has again come to the aid of his country and state – this time pledging $160 million to help fight coronavirus in partnership with Minderoo Foundation and Fortescue Metals Group.
In a statement on Mr Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation website;
Minderoo Foundation has committed up to $160 million and joined forces with Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) to procure and distribute lifesaving medical supplies and equipment, and to ramp up accurate RNA-based COVID-19 testing by at least 20 times.
The first plane of critical medical supplies from the world’s largest producer, China, is to depart from Shanghai today (Australian Western Standard Time).
Minderoo Foundation has arranged the charter of the Airbus A330, operated by China Eastern, that will touch down in Perth after a 10-hour flight.
Aiming to resolve Australia’s extreme shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment), two more flights are due to arrive on Friday and Saturday this week, together bringing more than 600 cubic meters weighing over 90 tonnes of medical supplies.
This will include:
- Over 1 million N95 equivalent face masks
- 400,000 surgical masks
- 2.3 million medical-grade gloves
- 100,000 nasal swabs
- 200,000 medical coveralls
- 10,000 medical goggles
- 5,000 touch-less thermometers
- 33 ICU grade ventilators
More to come.
For more information on the Minderoo Foundation visit minderoo.org.
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