Additional funding brings foundation commitment to more than $250 million to support development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines; help strengthen African and South Asian health systems; and help mitigate the social and economic impacts of the virus.

The costs of COVID-19 pandemic are still rising dramatically. Apart from health and humanitarian crisis, economic and livelihood consequences are turning devastating. Among all the entities affected, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are probably the most hard-hit.

As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the vast developing world across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, those working in the informal economy found they were fighting a war without social protections.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 840 million people have no access to electricity despite the fact that people without electricity decreased from 1 billion in 2017. Though the world suffers from an economic backlash, the energy sector still remains relevant in fighting this global crisis.

To Filipino nurses, the hospital ward for coronavirus patients is a dangerous second home.

“I know now is a difficult time for everyone. But our motherland needs more support to overcome this crisis. So, we need all hands on deck to help our people,” Ko Kyaw Tun Naing, CEO of Youth Society for Education, urged his friends and colleagues.

Solomon Islands is one of the 15 countries around the world that yet to register any confirm cases of the novel coronavirus. With this good news, it doesn’t stop the men, women, and especially youths in Solomon Islands to prepare.

“I know exactly what Myanmar's health system is lacking the most – it lacks resources” said a doctor and a freelance artist who single-handedly started a fundraising project for the frontliners. Dr. Ni Ni Win Tun was well aware of the already precarious circumstances of her fellow healthcare professionals, who have been tackling the pandemic under limited medical equipment and facilities regardless of a high risk of infection.

In the case of Spain, there are already over 3.5 million people that have lost their jobs because of the Corona crisis. The cultural industry is in decadence and suffering since their economic activity has seriously decreased because of the incapacity to hold performances having a group of people as public or spectators.

Local philanthropists, celebrities, volunteers, citizens make the astonishing donation to help fight not just the health aspect of the virus but of socio-economic as well.

When I could no longer cope with the worries springing up from negative stories about COVID-19 pandemic, I started avoiding the news. I broke the habit of catching up the news at the early hours of the day from a popular local radio station. Soon, my anxiety faded away.