The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced Wednesday that it will provide up to $100 million in the worldwide effort to combat coronavirus, the mystery ailment with roots in China that has been linked so far to nearly 500 deaths across the globe.
The news came just hours after the Washington State Patrol said its Fire Training Academy in North Bend would be used as a designated quarantine site for travelers returning from China who “are not able to self-quarantine at home.”
The Gates Foundation said its donation will be used to assist the World Health Organization, Chinese frontline responders and others at the global and national levels as they struggle to contain coronavirus, which has been linked to 14,550 infections around the world.