GENEVA – Japan and Germany, followed by China, have donated the most funds to the program launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help fight against COVID-19.

However, despite these donations, so far less than a third of the requested $675 million dollars has been raised, according to WHO.

To date, WHO has received $195 million as well as assurances of an additional $69 million to fund pandemic preparations and response programmes.

Japan is the largest contributor so far, with donations of $47.5 million, followed by Germany, which has sent $27 million in aid through its Ministry of Health.

They are followed by China ($20 million), the United Kingdom ($17.4 million), the United States ($14.7 million), the United Nations Emergency Response Fund ($10 million) and then a private donor, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with $9.5 million in aid.

Other countries cited by WHO as donors include Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, among others, in addition to the foundation of U.S. tycoon Michael Bloomberg.

The fund is open to personal contributions from anyone around the globe through their website: www.covid19responsefund.org.

The WHO has already warned that in view of the progress of the pandemic, its original request for $675 million will be revised and possibly increased before the end of March.