KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Chinese community in Jamaica on Wednesday handed over a cheque for $8 million to the Ministry of Health and Wellness in support of the country’s COVID-19 response.

State Minister Juliet Cuthbert Flynn accepted the donation during a ceremony at the ministry’s New Kingston location.

Cuthbert Flynn thanked the Chinese community for its continued assistance in the country’s COVID-19 fight, and said the donation will be used to procure essential items.

“There are quite a number of things we are constantly in need of — personal protective equipment, N95 masks, for example, and other various things that these funds can be used [to purchase],” she said.

“This donation is of great help to continue the fight against COVID-19… and we are very grateful for the support,” she added.

Representative of the Chinese community in Jamaica, Patrick Zhang, said that “this is from all the Chinese individuals living here. When we heard of the situation here several months ago, we started fund-raising efforts and every single individual donated”.

Zhang said that since the onset of the pandemic, the Chinese community has made monetary and other contributions to several hospitals and non-governmental organisations to assist those serving on the front lines of the pandemic.

“The funds we have donated, we hope, will assist in purchasing medication for patients as well as equipment for front-line workers. We are all facing this pandemic as one and we are living in this society together, and we have to fight it together. We want to see our beloved land recover from this,” he said.