Gates Foundation Will Commit 'Total Attention' To Coronavirus Pandemic

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now devoting all of its attention to addressing the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in an interview published Sunday. From a report: Gates told The Financial Times that his foundation, which has an endowment of more than $40 billion, was prepared to put all of its resources toward fighting the virus, even if it meant efforts to combat other deadly diseases would suffer as a result. “We’ve taken an organization that was focused on HIV and malaria and polio eradication, and almost entirely shifted it to work on this,” Gates, a leading philanthropist, said. “This has the foundation’s total attention. Even our non-health related work, like higher education and K-12 [schools], is completely switched around to look at how you facilitate online learning.” The Gates’ foundation has already committed $250 million toward coronavirus relief efforts around the world. The group’s most recent $150 million pledge is set to go toward international efforts to develop diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, as well as efforts to provide resources to African and South Asian countries.

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Source: Slashdot – Gates Foundation Will Commit ‘Total Attention’ To Coronavirus Pandemic