YANGON — The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on May 4 donated medical equipment and accessories to a newly-built laboratory of Myanmar's military hospital for testing COVID-19.

A medical team from the Chinese PLA handed over the equipment, reagents, and consumables to the No 1 Defence Services General Hospital in Mingaladon township, Yangon.

Discussions were conducted between the two sides while assistances were provided by the Chinese military medics in the fields of preventive measures, diagnosis and most importantly, laboratory diagnosis relating to COVID-19 over the past 10 days since the team's arrival in Myanmar's Yangon, Bai Chong, head of the Chinese military medical team, told Xinhua.

Collaboration is underway to establish a complete and comprehensive guideline which combines guidelines by both sides in respective sectors such as laboratory testing, diagnosis, and clinical treatment for COVID-19, said Bai Chong, expressing his hope for Myanmar's victory in fight against COVID-19.

"Medical, technical assistance and advice from the Chinese military medical team are of incalculable value and the guidelines are pragmatic as they are based on the team's frontline experiences in China," said Commanding Officer Brig. Gen. Myint Zaw of the military hospital.

The laboratory at the Myanmar's military hospital was set up with the technical assistance and training to the laboratory practitioners relating to laboratory diagnosis by the Chinese military medics.

The military medical team, along with emergency medical supplies, arrived in Yangon on April 24.

As the military's laboratory started operation on May 4, there are now three laboratories carrying out tests for infectious COVID-19 in Yangon, the National Health Laboratory, the Medical Research Department under the Health and Sports Ministry.

As of May 3, Myanmar has reported 155 COVID-19 positive cases with six deaths, since the disease was first detected in the country on March 23.