A coalition of world leaders convened a virtual summit, vowing to invest 7.4 billion euros in coronavirus testing and treatment and developing vaccines. Australia also participated in the meeting hosted by the European Union on Monday and said it would contribute 352 million Australian dollars.
But the United States, which recorded more than 67,000 deaths and was caught in a conspiracy theory about the origin and spread of the virus, did not participate and promised to contribute like China and Russia. The amount raised by the virtual summit is slightly lower than the original target of 7.5 billion euros. The UN Secretary General Guterres said that the money used to find vaccines, new treatments and better tests is only enough for the “down payment” of the tools needed for effective anti-epidemic, “To help everyone everywhere, we Five times the amount of money is required. “Officials from France, Germany, Italy, Norway and the European Union say the money will be used mainly through channels of recognized global health agencies.
There are now more than 3.5 million confirmed cases worldwide, and more than 250,000 people have died. But deliberately concealing the report, the low test rate and the tight medical system mean that the true scale of the outbreak is much larger. In addition to European leaders and Australian Prime Minister Morrison, Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, South Africa and Turkey leaders and Chinese ambassadors to the EU were also speaking at the summit.
President Macron donated 500 million euros on behalf of France, and said “a race against time is in progress.” British Prime Minister Johnson said “The competition to find a vaccine to defeat the virus is not a competition between countries, but the most urgent we have seen in our lives Joint efforts. “Japan pledged to donate more than 800 million US dollars and Germany 525 million euros. Italy and Spain said they each donated more than 100 million euros.
A total of about 100 research groups are developing vaccines, and about 10 have already or are preparing to start the early stages of human trials. But Anthony Fauci, a top expert in the United States, warned that even in the best case, developing vaccines in 12-18 months would be quick. When asked about the U.S.’s absence from the summit after suspending donations to WHO, a senior WHO official said, “The U.S. is providing $ 2.4 billion in global health, humanitarian, and economic assistance in response to Covid-19. . ”Macron said he believed that the United States would eventually participate, saying that he had privately talked with US President Trump.
