Global vaccine campaign hits fundraising milestone

Addis Ababa, May 26, 2020 (FBC) – A global pledging campaign has raised more than 10.4 Million US Dollars for the development of vaccines and therapies against Covid-19, the EU Commission’s president has announced.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Union Commission, said the funding “milestone” showed the world was demonstrating solidarity in tackling the pandemic.

The appeal, which was launched by the EU Commission earlier this month, is designed to ensure that affordable vaccines and treatments are available worldwide.

An initial 8 Billion USD was pledged by 40 countries and donors when the initiative was launched at an online summit hosted by the EU.

The US and Russia did not take part in the initiative while China, where the virus originated in December, was represented by its ambassador to the EU at the May summit.