The Bills & Melinda Gates Foundation is working to provide at-home testing kits for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. As a result of the initiative funded by Bill Gates and his foundation, testing for the disease is expected to receive a huge boost.
The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a major global crisis and the disease has spread across many parts of the world. Now, the Gates Foundation has decided to step in with an aim to reduce the impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.
Gates Foundation commits $100 million to coronavirus response
The foundation will provide up to $100 million to improve detection, isolation and treatment efforts; protect at-risk populations in Africa and South Asia; and accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics.
Amid reports suggesting the shortage of test kits for coronavirus COVID-19, the Gates Foundation’s work will boost testing efforts for the disease in the Seattle area.
Soon after results become known, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supposed to notify local health officials about those who test positive. People testing positive will further need to fill out online forms asking questions about their movements and contacts. This information should help local health officials improve their testing efforts.
There is no timeline available for the project’s launch. However, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is looking to process thousands of tests a day. Plus, Bill Gates’ Foundation also needs to upgrade its software to be able to get better at handling a massive flow of requests.
The project is funded with $20 million from Bill Gates’ private office.
The Gates Foundation recently poured in $5 million for coronavirus response in the Seattle area. The Gates Foundation has also committed $100 million to the global coronavirus response.
