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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 5 May 2020
World leaders pledge billions for virus vaccine research

By LORNE COOK against time is underway,"
Associated Press as he donated 500 million
BRUSSELS (AP) — World euros on behalf of France.
leaders, organizations and Apart from many European
banks on Monday pledged leaders, heads of state and
7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) government from Austra-
for research to find a vac- lia, Canada, Israel, Japan,
cine against the new coro- Jordan, South Africa and
navirus, but warned that it Turkey were also due to
is just the start of an effort speak, along with China's
that must be sustained over EU ambassador.
time to beat the disease. British Prime Minister Boris
The funds, pledged at a Johnson said that "the race
video-conference summit to discover the vaccine
hosted by the European to defeat this virus is not
Union, fell marginally short a competition between
of the 7.5 billion euros be- countries, but the most ur-
ing sought, but more mon- gent shared endeavor of
ey could arrive in coming our lifetimes."
days. Notably absent from Among the larger contribu-
the event was the United tions, Japan pledged more
States, where more than than $800 million while Ger-
67,000 people have died, many offered 525 million
and Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron, right, listens as he attends with French Foreign Minister Jean- euros. Italy and Spain, per-
Despite the shortfall, U.N. Yves le Drian, center, an international videoconference on vaccination at the Elysee Palace in haps the hardest hit by the
Paris, Monday, May 4, 2020.
Secretary-General Antonio Associated Press virus in Europe, each said
Guterres said, the target they would provide more
being sought Monday to and the strain on health Commission President Ur- research efforts combined than 100 million euros. Swit-
help find a vaccine, new care systems mean the sula von der Leyen said, with those they would offer zerland, the Netherlands
treatments and better tests true scale of the pandemic wrapping up the event to international organiza- and Israel also pledged 378
for the disease would only is much greater. after three hours. "All this tions. Others also proposed million euros, 192 million eu-
ever amount to a "down- People in many countries money will help kick-start a mix of loans with their ros and 60 million dollars,
payment" on the tools that across the globe, and no- unprecedented global co- funding. Pledges made respectively.
will be needed to fight the tably in Europe this week, operation." toward vaccine research Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of
virus. "To reach everyone, are cautiously returning to The original aim was to since Jan. 30 were also the Bill and Melinda Gates
everywhere, we likely need work but authorities remain gather around 4 billion eu- counted. Foundation, said that beat-
five times that amount," wary of a second wave of ros ($4.37 billion) for vac- Apart from many European ing the virus "will take more
Guterres said. infections, and a vaccine is cine research, some 2 bil- leaders, heads of state and than making a vaccine
Governments have re- the only real golden bullet lion euros for treatments government from Austra- available to the very high-
ported around 3.5 million to allow something like nor- and 1.5 billion ($1.64 billion) lia, Canada, Israel, Japan, est bidder. It is going to
infections and more than mal life to resume. for testing. Jordan, South Africa and take more than delivering
247,000 deaths from the vi- "In the space of just a few The pledges were hard to Turkey spoke at the event, it only to people in wealthy
rus, according to a count hours we have collectively track, beyond coming in along with China's EU am- nations. The pandemic
by Johns Hopkins University. pledged 7.4 billion euros various currencies. Some bassador. won't end until people ev-
But deliberately concealed for vaccines, diagnostics countries announced mon- President Emmanuel Ma- erywhere can be immu-
outbreaks, low testing rates and treatments," European ey for their own national cron warned that "a race nized against it."q

Sharansky to use Genesis Prize proceeds to fight coronavirus

By JOSEF FEDERMAN In forgoing the prize mon- and people in need of
Associated Press ey, he follows a tradition mental health services.
JERUSALEM (AP) — For- set by previous winners. He will also support re-
mer Soviet dissident Natan "Many people of good will search at Israel's Weiz-
Sharansky, winner of the around the world have mann Institute of Science,
2020 Genesis Prize, an- given generously to help Columbia University and
nounced Monday that he organizations and indi- New York University, and
will donate the $1 million viduals who have been help elderly Jewish com-
award to organizations devastated by COVID-19. munities overseas.
fighting the coronavirus I am grateful to have the Sharansky rose to promi-
pandemic and assisting opportunity to contribute nence in the 1970s as a dis-
people most affected by to this humanitarian effort," sident in the Soviet Union,
the outbreak. Sharansky said. where he worked closely
In a statement released by The Genesis Prize Founda- with the human rights ac-
prize organizers, Sharan- tion said donations would tivist and Nobel Peace
sky said he would support go to organizations provid- Prize winner Andre Sakha-
organizations in Israel and ing emergency services rov. In this Sept. 1, 2010 file photo, Natan Sharansky, the Jewish
abroad, some delivering to Jerusalem residents of He was a founding mem- Agency's chairman attends a press conference at the opening
immediate relief to victims all faiths, and assisting se- ber of the Helsinki Group, of the new Israeli Cultural Institute, in Budapest, Hungary.
and others pursuing lon- verely disabled children, which monitored rights Associated Press
ger-term research against domestic violence victims, abuses by the Soviets, and known "refuseniks," Soviet permission to emigrate to
the disease. African migrants in Tel Aviv became one of the best- Jews who were denied Israel.q