Gates Foundation commits another $250M in coronavirus fight
This is the single largest donation from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged an additional $250 million in its fight against the harrowing coronavirus pandemic.
The additional $250 million in funding, announced Wednesday, will go toward making sure the "lifesaving tools" being developed to fight the virus, such as a vaccine, will be made "available in 2021 to everyone who needs them," the foundation said.
The latest funds mark the single largest contribution from the foundation to date and bring its total commitment to the global COVID-19 response to $1.75 billion, the foundation said.
GATES FOUNDATION DONATES $100M TO CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT, PREVENTION EFFORTS
“We have new drugs and more potential vaccines than we could have expected at the start of the year," said Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and co-chair of the Gates Foundation. "But these innovations will only save lives if they get out into the world.”
The money will go toward supporting efforts to develop tests, treatments and vaccines "that are easier to scale and deliver" and to ensure there are less expensive options that can be used in different settings.
Paula McMahon prepares a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Glasgow, Scotland, on Dec. 8, 2020. (Jeff J Mitchell/Pool via AP)
The funds will also support the delivery of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, particularly to low- and middle-income countries.
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Melinda Gates, the co-chair of the Gates Foundation, said "we are confident that the world will get better in 2021," but it will take the actions of global leaders.
"Whether it gets better for everyone depends on the actions of the world’s leaders and their commitment to deliver tests, treatments, and vaccines to the people who need them, no matter where they live or how much money they have," she said.