The United Kingdom has injected twenty-six million US Dollars into the African COVID-19 grant to help cushion Africa from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The funds which are to be channeled through the African Union, will fund the training of health professionals in member states to handle the epidemic. The money is the highest amount so far deposited into the continental kitty, Africa Covid-19 Fund, which was established by the Chairperson of the African Union and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The UK government says the money will be used to strengthen global tracking of the pandemic and combat misinformation to the public. It also seeks to make information more accessible, create awareness through weekly virtual meetings for African clinicians, publish technical guidelines in AU languages, and convene AU member states to agree on a continental response to the virus. The UK Aid money will among others be used to in the search for a vaccine, provide important humanitarian relief to the most vulnerable, strengthen global healthcare systems and manage any possible risk of a global collapse of the economy. According to Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK International Development Secretary, the funding is part of global efforts to help mitigate the virus. “No one is safe until we all are safe, and this new funding and support for African leadership will help protect us all from further spread of the virus,” she said in a statement. The support from the UK comes after it had pledged about $950 million to fight coronavirus internationally. This big boost together with UK Aid funding of $990 million will help vulnerable countries in fighting the virus as well as strengthen health systems. The World Health Organisation recently warned Africa to prepare for the worst due to the coronavirus pandemic. WHO predicts that an upsurge in the number of confirmed cases could overwhelm healthcare systems if they are ill prepared. Africa has so far recorded 101,902 confirmed cases, 3,115 deaths and 40,641 recoveries.
