The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on February 5th that it has committed to invest up to $ 100 million in grants to support the global response to the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic. The funding will help to strengthen case detection, isolation and treatment, protect vulnerable people, and accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. The newly announced grants include $10 million that the Foundation committed to fighting the epidemic at the end of January.
“Multilateral agencies, governments, the private sector, and charitable organizations must work together to curb the spread of the epidemic, help countries protect the most vulnerable people, and accelerate the development of related tools,” says Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “We want to invest more resources to help facilitate a rapid and effective international response. These responses should be guided by science, not fear, and build on the steps taken by the World Health Organization.”
The Gates Foundation will also provide up to $60 million in funding to accelerate the identification, development and testing of new coronavirus vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools.
