NATO is preparing for a possible second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and will build up stocks of medical equipment and materials to deal with it, its Secretary General announced on Tuesday.
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" We are preparing for a possible second wave, " he said during a video conference press conference on the eve of a meeting of Alliance defense ministers. An operational plan will be submitted to them on Wednesday. He plans to build up stocks of personal protective equipment and other materials so that they can be distributed quickly when needed, he said.
A special fund of several million euros will also be created to buy medical supplies and pay for the transportation of doctors and patients when necessary, he added. These measures " will allow us to have a faster reaction for a possible second wave of the pandemic, so that essential aid arrives at the right place and at the right time, " he argued.
The armed forces of the thirty NATO countries have been called upon to help the health services to combat the spread of the pandemic and to treat the sick in field hospitals set up to strengthen hospital structures.
Nato has coordinated more than 350 military flights to transport equipment and transport evacuated patients to hospitals in other countries.
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