X-Men actor James McAvoy makes a huge donation to aid the U.K. in their coronavirus fight. The Last King of Scotland star is donating £275,000 or about $342,962 to help the National Health Service according to The Guardian. Originally, the campaign he donated’s goal was £200,000, but things have changed with that massive donation. It is well beyond £440,000 at this point. Dr. Salaj Masand is one of the doctors behind the effort and he was practically over the moon with the results. But, it will take a lot more resources to deal with this pandemic on a worldwide scale.
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Masand began, “We are overwhelmed and speechless at the trust and faith people have put into us to deliver this. The number of very generous donations from everyone doubled our target within three days.”
“This is a global catastrophic event and an extremely tough time for governments across world, no different from ours. There is a worldwide shortage of PPE [that’s] likely to go on for months,” he added. “The government is doing all it can but the NHS needs all the help it can get. We are also competing with the commercial market who are trying to sell the same PPE for extraordinary prices.”
All of the doctors had an appeal for anyone out there thinking of donating. “Unfortunately current hospital supplies are not sufficient and while we are reassured the government is doing everything it can, healthcare workers on the frontline are risking themselves daily without adequate protection to care for sick patients. Healthcare workers on the frontline without PPE is the equivalent of going to war without armour and protection.”
According to the World Health Organization, who officially dubbed the coronavirus outbreak a “pandemic” last week, there are over 200,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide with 16,556 new cases diagnosed in the last 24 hours and over 8700 deaths around the globe. In the United States there have been over 15,000 confirmed cases with 201 deaths as of this writing.
For those who are worried about the spread of the coronavirus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers a litany of tips, including covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding large gatherings or close contact with people who are sick, and washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
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