Coronavirus: Bill Gates to spend N1.8bn on fighting deadly virus in Africa
- Bill Gates has continued to donate money to help humanity, and his promise to release 1.8 billion naira to Africa in its fight against coronavirus will be an addition to his kind gesture
- The business mogul says a total of 3.6 billion naira will be released by him and divided equally between China and Africa
- Recall that the first case of coronavirus was reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019
Billionaire business magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates has promised to donate 1.8 billion naira to help fight the spread of coronavirus in Africa.
Gates through his foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said he would remit a total of 3.6 billion naira, which would be divided equally between China and Africa.
The N1.8 billion allocated for Africa will be used to create centres for disease control and prevention for screening and crisis preparedness in countries that will be deemed to be at high risk of being infected with the dreaded virus.
Source: UGC
"The money will be spent on emergency funds and corresponding technical support to help frontline responders in China and Africa accelerate their efforts to contain the global spread of 2019-nCoV," the foundation said in a press release.
The first case of coronavirus was reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019 and has since spread across the globe with latest reports indicating at least 14 countries have been affected so far.
At least 82 people have died courtesy of the airborne virus with about 2,800 others reported having fallen sick.
As it currently stands, no African country has confirmed any case of the new coronavirus apart from suspicious cases that have been reported in Ivory Coast and Kenya.
In Ivory Coast, a woman with flu-like symptoms was isolated and put under observation after she arrived from Beijing where she was pursuing her studies.
In Kenya, a male passenger who exhibited coronavirus symptoms after landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was equally isolated at the airport and quarantined at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The government later confirmed the passenger, who was also a student in China, was in stable condition and there was nothing to worry about.
The airline has been forced to undertake a raft of safety measures to ensure passengers suspected to have contracted the virus are not allowed onboard.
Health officers based at the airports in Kenya and China have been conducting quarantine screening to all passengers before allowing them on a flight.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a pastor in the United States Rick Wiles said the coronavirus is a plague sent by God to punish sinners and purge sin.
The right-wing evangelical pastor, parents transgendering little children and the filth on TVs and movies are to blame for the coronavirus outbreak, Daily Mail reports.
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N1,500 for health of Nigerians | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
Tunde Ososanya Tunde Ososanya, a former senior editor, is a graduate of Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He's passionate about what he does and finds fulfilment in informing the people. Ososanya is the author of Later Tonight: a Collection of Short Stories.
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
