Netanyahu: Israel will invest $60 million in R&D for coronavirus vaccine

Netanyahu was invited by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to participate in the video conference

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
Netanyahu discusses lifting COVID-19 restrictions with world leaders (photo credit: PMO)
Netanyahu discusses lifting COVID-19 restrictions with world leaders
(photo credit: PMO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a global coronavirus vaccine conference that Israel will invest $60 million in research and development in the fields of diagnosis, treatment and the development of medicine and vaccines for the novel coronavirus. 
World leaders launched a pledging "marathon" on Monday – without the United States – to raise at least $8 billion for research into a possible vaccine and treatments for the coronavirus.
Organizers included the European Union, non-EU states Britain and Norway, as well as Japan, Canada and Saudi Arabia, although, China, where the virus originated in December, was only represented by its ambassador to the European Union.
Netanyahu was invited by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to participate in the video conference
"Global plague eradication requires global partnership," Netanyahu said after thanking the participants for attending the conference. "Israel, like all countries, was significantly affected by the plague. Fortunately, the number of victims we have so far is relatively low. This is the result of early action to stop the virus, advanced technology used to track those infected, first-rate medical experts and a disciplined population that largely obeyed the government's containment policy."
"As we all know, the coronavirus epidemic is far from over. At best, we're only at the end of the beginning; And like all countries, Israel is now striving to strike the right balance between protecting our citizens' health and reopening our economy," Netanyahu stressed. "In order to ensure both public health and national prosperity, we must all work together to improve diagnosis, accelerate treatments and ultimately develop vaccines."
Netanyahu volunteered Israeli technology to assist in working on a vaccine, saying that "I am convinced that Israel's leading research institutions, our world-renowned Israeli scientists and our unique innovation culture, will enable us to play an important role in promoting solutions on all three fronts."
"That's why Israel pledges today to allocate $60 million to these efforts. We hope to work with other countries and leverage our unique capabilities to find solutions that will benefit everyone," Netanyahu concluded.
"I believe the fourth of May will mark a turning point in our fight against coronavirus because today the world is coming together," von der Leyen, said at the start of the event, pledging 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion).
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has recovered from a life-threatening battle with COVID-19, said the search for a vaccine was "the most urgent shared endeavor of our lifetime", calling for "an impregnable shield around all our people."