Turkey to send medical aid to Venezuela

Turkey will send medical aid to Venezuela under a bilateral agreement, according to a notice published in the country's Official Gazette Wednesday.

The agreement between Turkey and Venezuela on "donations in the field of health" was signed on June 11 in Ankara, it said.

As a "gesture of friendship and goodwill", Turkey will donate medical supplies including 25 ventilators, 100,000 surgical masks, 50,000 N95 type masks, 35,000 protective coveralls, 200,000 gloves and 40,000 test kits.

Turkey has sent medical aid to nearly 140 countries to help them combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 700,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since last December.

Over 18.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the US, Brazil, India and Russia currently the hardest-hit countries, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Data shows more than half of all patients -- more than 11 million -- have recovered.