The level of funding to fight the Covid-19 pandemic is set to top the disease league table in just a matter of months, research from RIFT Research and Development has revealed.
According to the World Health Organisation, £283,935,237 has already been donated to help fund the fight against Covid-19, with a further £48,480,196 committed, taking the total to £332,415,423.
It means the amount of funding the pandemic has received has overtaken total funding in the last five years for all but five other diseases. Those who have received a larger level of funding include HIV, tuberculosis, P.falciparum or human malaria, other strains of malaria and dengue.
However, the average annual funding against HIV and Aids comes in at £936.9 million, while TB has received an average of £471.1m per year. Despite the WHO receiving its first reports of Covid-19 just three and a half months ago, the funding received places the pandemic third in the table when compared to average annual funding.
Sarah Collins, director of RIFT Research and Development, said the “sheer level” of money being invested is testament to the seriousness of the virus.
Collins said: “It is really quite staggering that in just three and a half short months, funding in the fight against Covid-19 has eclipsed total funding in the last five years for all but five other diseases.
“The positive to take is the huge collective effort in fighting the spread of the Coronavirus, with some great R&D success stories in particular. Only time will tell if this huge level of funding will be required on a long-term basis, and more importantly, if it will make the required impact.”
