ISLAMABAD, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two tons of medical supplies from China were successfully handed over to Pakistan on Friday at the Khunjerab pass in north Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region to help the country fight COVID-19, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

The medical supplies including ventilators, face masks, protective clothes and testing kits were donated by the government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said the embassy, adding that the total value of the supplies is 2.778 million yuan (about 391,500 U.S. dollars).

The border crossing between the two countries at Khunjerab only opens from April 1 to Nov. 30 every year due to extreme weather conditions. To ensure the rapid customs clearance of medical supplies, Xinjiang temporarily opened the pass and provided a green channel to release medical supplies.

The embassy said that both sides braved the cold weather to clear the roads and made good preparations for the delivery, adding that the Chinese government is scheduled to send a medical team and provide more medical supplies to Pakistan soon.

According to the latest data released by the health ministry of Pakistan, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 1,296 on Friday. ■