Maryland Gov. Expresses Thanks to Korea
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said that he received COVID-19 diagnostic kits for 500,000 tests from South Korea and expressed his gratitude on April 20.
Before the delivery, the number of tests in that state stood at 70,000 or so. The kits arrived at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport on April 18. The governor and his wife visited the airport themselves.
Maryland’s efforts for the delivery started on March 28. The governor talked over the phone about purchasing the kits with South Korean Ambassador to the United States Lee Soo-hyuck. The U.S. FDA already gave its approval for the kits, which will be distributed at COVID-19 test centers across Maryland.
U.S. President Donald Trump complained about the purchase. It is said that the complaint is because the governor has publicly criticized the president’s response to the pandemic in spite of their same party membership and the president is regarding the import as eclipsing the federal government’s efforts to carry out more tests on its own.
In Maryland, a total of 71,500 tests have been carried out, approximately 500 persons have died of COVID-19, and about 14,000 infections have been confirmed so far. Washington Post reported that the kits for 500,000 tests will make a huge contribution to Maryland’s COVID-19 response.