Brussels: World leaders on pledged billions of euros for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus. However, they warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time. Without patience, the disease cannot be beaten.
Amount to be raised
At a video conference summit, United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the aim is to raise 7.5 billion euros (USD 8.2 billion). The amount will help in finding a vaccine. Treatments and better tests for the disease would be merely a ‘down-payment’ on the tools needed to fight the virus. “To reach everyone, everywhere, we likely need five times that amount,” Guterres said.
Two hours into the European Union (EU)-hosted summit, just over 5.4 billion euros had been pledged, according to a European Commission tally.
Worldwide COVID-19 statistics
Governments have reported around 3.5 million infections and more than 2,47,000 deaths from the virus, according to a count by John Hopkins University. But deliberately concealed outbreaks and low testing rates mean the true scale of the pandemic is much greater.
People in many countries across the globe, and notably in Europe this week, are cautiously returning to work. However, authorities remain wary of a second wave of infections. Only a vaccine will be the only real golden bullet to allow something like normal life to resume.
Donations pledged
“The reality is that we will have to learn to live with the virus until we develop a vaccine,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She also announced a pledge of 1 billion euros from the EU’s executive arm. “More will be needed. So today is only the start of a global pledging marathon,” Von der Leyen said.
President Emmanuel Macron also warned that ‘a race against time is underway’, as he donated 500 million euros on behalf of France.
The summit is attended by many European leaders. Also attending are heads of state and government from Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, South Africa and Turkey. China’s EU ambassador is also scheduled to speak at the event.
The United States, where more than 67,000 people have died, was a notable absentee, as was Russia.
Target of video conference
The video conference’s aim is to gather around four billion euros (USD 4.37 billion) for vaccine research. Also some two billion euros will be raised for treatments and 1.5 billion ($1.64 billion) for testing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that ‘the race to discover the vaccine to defeat this virus is not a competition between countries’. It is the most urgent shared endeavor of our lifetimes’.
Other donations
Among the larger contributions, Japan pledged more than USD 800 million while Germany offered 525 million euros. Italy and Spain, perhaps the hardest hit by the virus in Europe, each said they would provide more than 100 million euros. The Netherlands and Israel also pledged 192 million euros and 60 million dollars respectively.
AP