King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) signed an agreement yesterday with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support the organisation’s effort to combat the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the Royal Court Adviser and Supervisor General of KSRelief, Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah saying: “The donation of $10 million to confront the spread of coronavirus reflects the kingdom’s keenness to harness its resources in serving humanitarian issues, in full cooperation with The United Nations, its agencies, organisations and the international community to achieve all that is good for humanity.”

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The representative of the organisation in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Zeeq, said in a press statement which followed the signing of the agreement in Riyadh, that the amount will contribute to the implementation of the national plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Al-Zeeq pointed out that KSRelief will purchase preventive equipment for workers in the health sector and invest in laboratory equipment and tests to detect infections, pointing out that the grant will also be directed to supporting scientific efforts toward developing a vaccine or purchasing medicine to treat the disease.

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