WHO Chief Thanks Saudi Arabia for Donating $10Mln for Fighting Coronavirus

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th March, 2020) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia's King Salman Center for Humanitarian Relief for providing $10 million to the organization as help to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

In early February, the WHO director-general announced that the organization was launching the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to assist counties in stemming the spread of the new form of coronavirus, asking for $675 million to implement it.

"We're very grateful to the many countries and foundations who have contributed; more than $622 million have been received so far, and we would like to thank the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Relief for its contribution of $10 million," Tedros said, as quoted by a statement published on the WHO website.

Ghebreyesus also commended signs of global solidarity in the face of the common threat and the commitment of G20 states "to work together to improve the production and equitable supply of essential products."

The WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 740,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide, with over 35,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.