Boris Johnson urges nations to unite and in pursuit of coronavirus vaccine

Boris Johnson will warn today that it is “humanity against the virus,” as he is co-hosting an international conference to jumpstart the race for coronavirus treatments, tests and vaccines.

The Prime Minister will urge countries to ‘unite’ and pool their knowledge as they tackle the ‘most urgent shared effort of our lives’.

He will add: “We are together in this and together we will prevail.”

Today’s online pledging conference, jointly organized by the UK and eight other countries and organizations, aims to raise more than £ 6.6 billion in funds to support the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK has pledged to provide £ 388 million in research, treatment and vaccine research support funds, part of a £ 744 million commitment to help end the pandemic and support the global economy during this period. of general uncertainty.

It occurs when the United Kingdom announced 315 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, totaling 28,446, putting the country on track to become the hardest hit in Europe.

Prime Minister to urge countries to ‘unite’ to find coronavirus vaccine at international conference today

Johnson, who contracted the virus in March, is expected to tell the conference: ‘To win this battle, we must work together to build an impregnable shield around all of our people, and that can only be accomplished by developing and mass-producing a vaccine.

‘The more we come together and share our experience, the faster our scientists will succeed.

“The race to discover the vaccine to beat this virus is not a competition between countries, but the most urgent shared effort in our lives.” It is humanity against the virus: we are in this together and we will prevail together. ‘

Speaking today, Donald Trump revealed that he and Boris Johnson had discussed a possible vaccine before the conference later.

He told Fox News: ‘He [Mr Johnson] was a victim (of this thing). He thought it was all over.

The coronavirus has claimed more than 244,000 lives worldwide, according to an analysis by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “By strengthening the health systems of developing countries and working to find a vaccine, the UK is helping to stop the worldwide spread of the coronavirus to save lives everywhere and protect our NHS. “

Writing in The Independent newspaper on Sunday, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Norway and senior EU officials said the outbreak “caused devastation and pain in all corners of the world.”

They said that responding to the “global challenge” requires “bringing together the best and most prepared minds in the world to find the vaccines, treatments and therapies we need to make our world healthy again.”

The United Kingdom announced 315 new deaths from coronavirus yesterday, with a total of 28,446 deaths and putting the country on track to become the most affected in Europe.

Yesterday’s figures, which are generally lower on weekends, put the British only 264 from Italy, which was the original epicenter of the continent’s outbreak.

Michael Gove admitted yesterday that there would be a time for “deep and profound questions about the lessons that we as a country can learn from how we handle this crisis in its early stages.”

He added: “Without a doubt, this government, like all governments, will have made mistakes.”

It is understood that the Sage committee of the best scientists today will endorse the public use of face masks at a live broadcast meeting designed to embarrass the government for its alleged lack of transparency.

The number of people who died of coronavirus in UK hospitals, nursing homes and the wider community rose yesterday to 315, the lowest number since the end of March.

The deaths brought the total number of deaths to 28,446.