As Netherlands recalls 600,000 face masks from China due to low quality
Spain’s government claimed that 60,000 of them did not accurately test for COVID-19.
Nigeria has recorded rising cases of coronavirus in 5 days after receiving 100,000 face masks, 1,000 protective gowns and 20,000 test kits from Chinese Billionaire, Jack Ma.
Nigeria on Wednesday received test kits and protective gear from China’s richest man, Jack Ma, to help fight novel coronavirus, which has so far claimed one life and infected 45 others in Africa’s most populous nation.
Meanwhile Netherlands has recalled 600,000 face masks from China due to low quality Dutch officials have recalled 600,000 face masks manufactured in China because they did not meet quality standards, the government’s health ministry said on Saturday.
The news shocked frontline medical staff in the Netherlands, who rely on high-quality products to protect them from contracting Covid-19, Dutch public broadcaster NOS said.
Half of the shipment of 1.3 million supposedly top-of-the-line face masks – known as N95 in the United States and Hong Kong – had already been distributed to doctors and nurses treating the most critical Covid-19 patients, the government said.
N95 masks – known as FFP2 in Europe or KN95 in mainland China – play a critical role in health care, as they are supposed to block over 90 per cent of airborne particles that may carry the coronavirus
.
The Dutch experience is not the first time that European countries have had problems with coronavirus-related medical equipment manufactured in China.
Last week, Spain announced that hundreds of thousands of rapid test kits
sent by a Chinese company were unreliable, following similar reports in the Czech Republic.
According to the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the masks did not fit well and the filters did not function properly. It was not immediately clear whether the batch in question was given to the Netherlands as a donation or came through a commercial transaction.
“Due to shortages, we have found ourselves in a situation where the only protective equipment available does not meet the highest standards. This is an issue in all countries,” according to a statement released by the ministry.
“Last Saturday, the first shipment from a Chinese manufacturer was delivered in part. These are masks with a KN95 quality certificate.”
The ministry was notified by inspectors that the quality of this shipment “did not meet the [quality] criteria” for the product. “Part of this shipment was delivered to health care providers, while the rest of the cargo was immediately put on hold and was not distributed further,” the ministry said.
“A second test also showed that the masks did not meet quality standards. It has now been decided that the whole shipment would not be used. New shipments will undergo an additional test.”
Meanwhile other Other countries have expressed concern with medical equipment manufactured in China. After purchasing 340,000 test kits from a Chinese manufacturer, Spain’s government claimed that 60,000 of them did not accurately test for COVID-19.
European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said in a blog post that the Chinese government was attempting to be perceived as an international ally in the “global battle of narratives.”
