In response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced last week that it had launched a first-of-its-kind Solidarity Response Fund to help control the spread of the virus.
According to the WHO, the fund will provide the most at-risk and vulnerable countries with the necessary financial assistance to mitigate the impact of the virus, which has sent the global community into a frenzy.
“We are at a critical point in the global response to Covid-19 – we need everyone to get involved in this massive effort to keep the world safe. A lot of people and institutions have been saying they want to contribute to the fight against the novel coronavirus. Now they can,” said Tedros Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO.
In line with the WHO’s Covid-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response, the fund will go towards assisting those infected by the virus, as well as increasing measures that will help detect and stop the spread of the virus.
Additionally, the WHO said that it was looking to raise funds that would help provide health care workers with all the necessary tools and equipment to successfully limit the spread of the virus. As part of those efforts, the WHO will provide the countries with diagnostic laboratories and intensive care units, as well as looking at ways to strengthen their supply chain routes. – Bjorn Vorster