World News

Spain army predicts two more outbreaks; World Health Organisation says it has $2 billion funding shortfall; Italy coronavirus death toll tops 30,000

The World Health Organisation says it has US$1.3 (A$1.99) billion funding shortfall for COVID-19 efforts, while Italy’s coronavirus death count has topped 30,000.
The head of the World Health Organization says the agency needs US$1.7 (A$2.6) billion to fund its response efforts for COVID-19 for the rest of the year – and that it’s about US$1.3 billion short.

Last month, US President Donald Trump announced he was suspending funding to the UN health agency, saying WHO botched its response to the coronavirus pandemic and was acting as a public relations agency for China.
WHO said previously it was conducting an assessment of what the loss of US funding would mean for its operations.
In a press briefing on Friday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO’s COVID-19 strategic plan is focused on several objectives, including providing technical and logistical support to all countries, particularly those with fragile health systems.
He said the estimated $1.7 billion “only covers WHO’s needs, not the entire global (community’s) needs”.
The Health Ministry registered 243 deaths on Friday (local time), bringing the total of those who died in the country to 30,201.