UK announces £46m to fight coronavirus

The UK government has announced a funding package of £46 million to help life science companies develop a vaccine for the new strain of the coronavirus.

The funding was announced by prime minister Boris Johnson after visiting Mologic Lab in Bedfordshire.

The funding package will be split between a range of initiatives designed to fight and mitigate Covid-19. This includes £20 million for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to support vaccine development. More so, up to £5 million through the Joint Initiative on Research for Epidemic Preparedness aims to help develop quicker diagnosis methods and perform essential research for disease control.

At the moment there are eight possible coronavirus vaccines currently under development, with efforts being underway to get any viable vaccine to clinical testing under a year. It’s hoped that governments will then work with pharmaceutical companies to get vaccines into production and out to the public.

Whilst vaccines are essential, there is no existing method of diagnosing coronavirus without sending samples to lab for testing – a process that is timely and leads to delays in diagnosis.

The Mologic Lab in Bedfordshire will use UK aid funding to develop a rapid diagnostic test device for the coronavirus, which will allow medical professionals and potentially individuals at home to identify the disease themselves. If successful, this will mean that patients can be treated faster and will potentially reduce the spread of the virus.

A rapid diagnostic test also means that countries without the capabilities to diagnose coronavirus will have access to a means of doing so.

Also included in the funding package is £16 million to help the most vulnerable countries prepare for coronavirus, and £5 million for the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) flash appeal.

The funding announcement follows plans set out by the government to tackle coronavirus in the UK. The government’s plan includes four stages - containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and mitigating the impact should the virus become more widespread.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said: “Keeping the British people safe is my number one priority, and that’s why I’ve set out our four-part plan to contain, delay, mitigate and research coronavirus.

We are ensuring the country is prepared for the current outbreak, guided by the science at every stage. But we also need to invest now in researching the vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks.

I’m very proud that UK experts – backed by government funding – are on the front line of global efforts to do just that.”

Director-general of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added: “The United Kingdom’s support for the global response to the new coronavirus outbreak will protect the health of people in many parts of the world, from assisting countries with fragile health systems to fuelling the fight to find a vaccine.

At this critical time in the battle against COVID-19, the WHO is grateful for the UK’s solidarity and commitment to keeping people safe at home and around the world.

It comes ahead of the UK hosting the “Global Vaccine Summit 2020” in June, demonstrating the UK’s leadership in global health security.”

So far, two people have died in the UK due to coronavirus with a total of 163 cases confirmed.