It needs $ 31 billion ... a health-led coalition fighting Corona

A WHO-led coalition to combat the Covid-19 epidemic called on donors from the government and private sectors to help raise $ 31.3 billion in the next 12 months; To develop treatments and vaccinations and to carry out tests to combat the disease.

The organization renewed its call - on Friday - for global cooperation to confront the pandemic, and said that about $ 3.4 billion has been contributed for this alliance so far, so that there is a funding gap of $ 27.9 billion, and there is an "urgent need" to 13.7 billion of it.

The international organization is working with a huge alliance of organizations working in the areas of drug development, financing and distribution, under the umbrella of the name 'Act Accelerator', a center to accelerate the acquisition of tools to counter Covid-19.

The organization said in a statement that the initiative aims to conduct about 500 million examinations of Covid-19, in addition to 245 million new therapeutic doses of the disease, to be submitted to low and middle income countries by the middle of 2021.

WHO also hopes that by the end of 2021 it will be able to provide two billion doses of vaccine, including one billion purchased by low- and middle-income countries.

Vaccines to save lives

"It is clear that in order to control Covid-19 and save lives, we need vaccinations, effective diagnostic tools and treatments, in unprecedented quantities and speed," said WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanum Gebresos.

"Since the entire world can be affected by Covid-19, it is clear that the entire world must be able to have all the tools of prevention, monitoring and treatment, not just those who have the means to pay for it."

The new Corona virus has claimed at least 478,274 lives worldwide since its emergence, and as the race to produce a protective vaccine has accelerated, governments - including the United States and European governments - have rushed into deals in advance to purchase promising treatments for immunization against the emerging corona virus.

This raised concerns about the equitable distribution of vaccine supplies for Covid-19 disease, especially for low- and middle-income countries.