The UK government has pledged an additional £210 million of support to accelerate work to find a coronavirus vaccine, in an announcement following a virtual summit of G20 leaders.
The UK has now pledged £544 million in total which makes it the biggest contributor to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) – the international coalition to find a vaccine.
Announcing the additional funding, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “While our brilliant doctors and nurses fight coronavirus at home, this record British funding will help to find a vaccine for the entire world. UK medics and researchers are at the forefront of this pioneering work.
Acting High Commissioner to India Jan Thompson said: “This important announcement demonstrates the UK’s continued commitment to finding a coronavirus vaccine alongside our key international partners.
“We already have a strong record of research collaboration with India; at a time like this, international collaboration is more important than ever.”
The additional package of funding will go towards producing rapid tests for coronavirus and testing and developing medicines to treat the disease, for use in the UK and around the world.
Quickly identifying those with coronavirus and having the means to treat those most affected will be pivotal in bringing down the number of people killed.
Few days are without incident for a Prime Minister in these turbulent times, but this was a particularly eventful day for Boris Johnson, who had earlier announced to the nation he had succumbed to the coronavirus.
In a video message, he said:
‘Hi folks.
I want to bring you up to speed on something that’s happening today which is that I’ve developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus. That’s to say – a temperature and a persistent cough.
And, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, I’ve taken a test. That has come out positive.
So I am working from home. I’m self-isolating. And that’s entirely the right thing to do.
But be in no doubt that I can continue, thanks to the wizardry of modern technology, to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus.
And I want to thank everybody who’s involved, I want to thank, above all, our amazing NHS staff. It was very moving last night to join in that national clap for the NHS.
But it’s not just the NHS, it’s our police, our social care workers, teachers, everybody who works in schools, DWP staff.
An amazing national effort by the public services. But also by every member of the British public who’s volunteering, an incredible response – 600,000 people have volunteered to take part in a great national effort to protect people from the consequences of coronavirus – I want to thank you.
I want to thank everybody who’s working to keep our country going through this epidemic.
And we will get through it.
And the way we’re going to get through it is, of course, by applying the measures that you’ll have heard so much about.
And the more effectively we all comply with those measures, the faster our country will come through this epidemic and the faster we’ll bounce back.
So thank you to everybody who’s doing what I’m doing, working from home, to stop the spread of the virus from household to household.
That’s the way we’re going to win, we’re going to beat it, and we’re going to beat it together.
Stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives.’
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