Russia has dispatched a cargo plane with masks and medical equipment to the US after Donald Trump accepted an offer of humanitarian aid from Vladimir Putin to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

The plane, a Russian Antonov An-124-100 military transport, left from Chkalovsky airfield outside Moscow on Tuesday night and will arrive in the US on Wednesday after refuelling at Shannon airport in Ireland. Footage from the plane broadcast by Russian state television showed stacks of cardboard boxes in the cargo hold.

The delivery is likely to stir controversy among critics of Trump, who have said Putin will portray the goodwill gesture as a public relations coup and use it to bolster Russia’s efforts to escape sanctions for meddling in the 2016 US elections.

Masks and other medical equipment are also in short supply in Russia, where the number of infected with coronavirus rose by 440 on Wednesday to a confirmed 2,777 cases. The Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, warned Putin last week that the official tally of cases underestimated the severity of the outbreak.

The US has more than 188,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 3,900 deaths attributed to the disease. Government scientists have said working models show tens, or even hundreds of thousands of people dying from the disease in the US alone.

In an apparent error, Trump on Monday said the aid had already arrived from Russia, telling reporters in the White House Rose Garden: “Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice.” It was the first mention of aid from Moscow.

Later, the Kremlin announced that Putin had offered Trump the aid during a one-on-one telephone conversation when the two sides discussed measures to fight coronavirus.

“Trump gratefully accepted this humanitarian aid,” Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters. “Now that this situation has affected everyone without exception and is global, there is no alternative to joint action in the spirit of partnership and mutual help.”

Quick Guide What are coronavirus symptoms and should I go to a doctor? Show What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic. What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes? According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. Some people report losing their sense of taste and/or smell. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as serious as a regular cold – and recover without needing any special treatment. About one in six people, the WHO says, become seriously ill. The elderly and people with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions, are at a greater risk of serious illness from Covid-19. In the UK, the National health Service (NHS) has identified the specific symptoms to look for as experiencing either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Should I go to the doctor if I have a cough? Medical advice varies around the world - with many countries imposing travel bans and lockdowns to try and prevent the spread of the virus. In many place people are being told to stay at home rather than visit a doctor of hospital in person. Check with your local authorities. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

Peskov also said that Putin “assumes that when US makers of medical equipment and materials have gained speed, they too will be able to reciprocate if necessary”.

Russia has already sent planeloads of masks and other medical aid to Italy, deploying medics in military vehicles labelled: “From Russia with Love.” Russia’s military said the aid included 22 vehicles and mobile disinfection labs. Italian officials publicly thanked Russia for the aid. A widely circulated report in the La Stampa newspaper cited senior officials calling the aid 80% “useless”.

“Hopefully someone will tell Trump that he’s playing right into a propaganda ploy,” wrote Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Twitter.