“The pandemic is by no means over.” Corona Summit collects billions of aid
May 12, 2022 at 9:32 pm
Corona is no longer the dominant topic. But Chancellor Scholz warns against erroneous conclusions at an international summit. After all, another three billion dollars are available for the global struggle.
According to American information, the participants of the second international virtual Corona summit declared additional funds in the amount of over three billion dollars (almost 2.9 billion euros). The White House said over $ 2 billion of that amount was allocated to immediate pandemic relief and $ 962 million to the World Bank’s new pandemic preparedness fund. Heads of state and government such as Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that efforts against Corona should not be undermined.
“We feel the pandemic may end,” Scholz said in a video speech. The war in Ukraine dominates the headlines and many people are now “tired” of reading about the Crown. “But in the harsh reality of the world, the pandemic was far from over.” More than 6.2 million people worldwide have died from corona infection. “The current epidemics and worrying new virus variants highlight the risk of a dragging pandemic.” Among other things, more funds are needed to be able to vaccinate people around the world. There is still “a significant financial gap that we must close together,” continued the Chancellor.
US President Joe Biden also warned that there was still “so much to do”. “This pandemic is not over yet,” added Biden. “We all need to do more. We must honor those who have passed away by doing everything we can to prevent as many deaths as possible. “
WHO: Two million killed in Europe
The second virtual summit on the crown pandemic was hosted by five countries: Germany, which currently holds the G7 presidency, the US, Indonesia as G20 president, Senegal on behalf of the African Union, and Belize on behalf of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). The United States held its first international coronation summit last September. The United States alone has now pledged an additional $ 200 million to the World Bank’s pandemic preparedness fund, totaling $ 450 million. Scholz initially promised EUR 50 million from Germany.
The summit took place on a day when two sad milestones were reached during the pandemic: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of corona deaths in Europe has exceeded two million since the pandemic started. According to the White House, the threshold of one million deaths from crowns has been exceeded in the US. Biden spoke of a “tragic milestone.”
President Biden is currently battling with the US Congress for additional billions to fight Corona. He asked for $ 22.5 billion, but Congress only wants to grant him $ 10 billion. The planned funds for further vaccinations abroad were canceled by parliamentarians in the face of opposition from the opposition Republicans.