The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday said that it will immediately commit up to $100 million for the global response to the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
This commitment is inclusive of the $10 million that the foundation committed to the outbreak in late January.
The $100 million is to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts, protect at-risk populations in Africa and South Asia and accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics.
According to the WHO, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats.
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
It has now killed no fewer than 490 people worldwide and infected over 24,000 people in more than 24 countries, including in the U.S.
“Multilateral organisations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak,
“Also to help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control.
“Our hope is that these resources will help catalyze a rapid and effective international response.
“This response should be guided by science, not fear, and it should build on the steps that the World Health Organisation has taken to date,” the CEO of Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman said in a statement.
The WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Jan. 30, 2020.
According to WHO, this becomes critical because of the risks the virus poses globally and the need for a worldwide coordinated effort to enhance preparedness, especially in fragile settings.
The Government of China has also declared a national public health emergency and mobilized a nationwide effort to contain the virus and treat those who are infected. (NAN)
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