UK pledges extra £210 million to search for virus vaccine

Britain on Thursday announced an extra £210 million ($251 million, 227 million euros) towards the global fund to find a coronavirus vaccine, taking its total contribution to £544 million.

"While our brilliant doctors and nurses fight coronavirus at home, this record British funding will help to find a vaccine for the entire world," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"My call to every G20 country and to governments around the world is to step up and help us defeat this virus," he added.

Britain's contribution is the largest by any country to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the international fund to find a vaccine, London said in a press release.

Following Thursday's virtual summit of G20 leaders, Johnson's government also unveiled new funding to speed up production of tests and treatments for the virus.

CEPI has said it needs $2 billion additional funding to develop a vaccine.

According to the latest figures, 463 people have died from the virus in Britain and more than 9,500 people have been infected.

© 2020 AFP