The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed extra $150 million towards the fight against coronavirus, bringing the total commitment to more than $250 million. This comes at a time the United States announced it was halting funding towards the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing the organisation of being China-centric in their response. The founders of the Bill & Melinda Gates took aim at President Donald Trump’s decision to halt the funding at a time the world desperately needed a more coordinated response towards the pandemic. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation, indicated that the move is as “dangerous as it sounds” saying that the WHO work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organisation can replace them. “The world needs @WHO now more than ever,” Melinda, wife to Bill Gates – billionaire philanthropist, said on Twitter. The same day the Gates foundation announced it was investing more funds to support the fight against the infectious disease. The funding will be directed towards the poorest and most vulnerable communities in Africa and South Asia, according to the foundation. “We have the capacity and capability to play a significant role in the COVID-19 response,” Mark Suzman, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, noted. Suzman said the Foundation has already been responding to the pandemic through developing and delivering treatments and vaccines, accelerating detection and containment of the virus and protecting vulnerable communities. He argues that in a period like this, philanthropy can take risks that governments and corporations won’t. “It can put wind in the sails of ideas, innovations, and initiatives with the potential to save lives.” The Gates Foundation has been involved in responding to disease prevention and other outbreaks like HIV/AIDS and Ebola, including in Rwanda. Its Founder billionaire Bill Gates stepped down last month from the board of Microsoft, which he co-founded 45 years ago, to focus on his health-related work at the Foundation. The organization had recently committed up to $100 million to respond to coronavirus, Gates has backed a coronavirus test that people can conduct on their own at home, and he has said he would help pay for factories that can produce vaccines.
