Bill and Melinda Gates pledge US$100m for Wuhan virus cash appeal

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit up to US$100 million after the WHO called for US$675 million for a plan to fight the Wuhan  coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly "at risk.''

The funding will help strengthen detection, isolation and treatment efforts; protect at-risk populations; and develop vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. The new funding is inclusive of US$10 million the foundation committed to the outbreak in late January, the foundation said.

“Multilateral organizations, national governments, the private sector and philanthropies must work together to slow the pace of the outbreak, help countries protect their most vulnerable citizens and accelerate the development of the tools to bring this epidemic under control,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “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 Organization has taken to date.”