KATHMANDU: The U.S. Government has announced a commitment of $37 million in financing from the Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for 25 countries affected by novel coronavirus COVID-19 or at high risk of its spread.
The U.S. Government is providing these funds to the World Health Organization, other multilateral institutions, and programs led by USAID’s implementing partners, a statement issued by USAID said.
According to USAID Administrator Mark Green, these are the first U.S. Government funds committed from the pledge of up to $100 million announced by the U.S. Department of State on February 7, 2020.
“Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can be a threat everywhere, we call on other donors to contribute to the effort to combat COVID-19 as well,” it said.
The new funding, the statement said, will help address the threat of COVID-19 in the high-priority countries such as Angola, Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, South Africa, Turkmenistan, The Philippines, Zambia, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe; Nepal, Bangladesh; Burma; Cambodia; Ethiopia; Kyrgyz Republic; the Lao Democratic People’s Republic; Mongolia; Nigeria; Pakistan; Thailand; Vietnam; and Zimbabwe.
The statement said that the funds that are going to the WHO will help the governments of currently affected or at-risk developing countries prepare their laboratories for large-scale testing for COVID-19.
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