The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a further 150-million-dollar (N57 billion) commitment to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“The world community must understand that so long as COVID-19 is somewhere, we need to act as if it were everywhere.

“Beating this pandemic will require an unprecedented level of international funding and cooperation,” Bill Gates, the foundation’s co-chair and founder of Microsoft said.

With Wednesday’s announcement, the foundation has now given 250 million dollars (N95 billion) to fight the virus and COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes.

The donation comes just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would halt funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a move that was harshly criticised in the international community.

The Gates’ foundation is among the biggest private donors to the WHO.

The new funds will go toward the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, and support efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 in low and middle-income countries.

The foundation plans to partner with organisation in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to increase their COVID-19 detection capabilities along with treatment and isolation efforts.

Non-medical funding will also go towards supporting people in extreme poverty who are impacted by the economic fallout of the virus. (dpa/NAN)