G20 NATIONS TO ALLOCATE $21-B VS COVID-19

The G20 member-states have agreed to allocate more than $21 billion in funding for efforts to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement posted on the organization’s official website on Saturday, the Russian news agency TASS reported on June 6, 2020.

"The G20, with invited countries, has coordinated the global efforts to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, G20 members and invited countries have pledged over US$21 billion to support funding in global health," the statement said.

The funds will be allocated for efforts aimed at preventing the virus from spreading, including diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and research and development.

G20 countries have been urged by the United Nations (UN) and various international organizations to help poor countries confront the deadly COVI-19 pandemic that broke out in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China. According to the latest statistics, over 6,714,300 people have been infected worldwide and more than 393,400 deaths have been reported.