30m tests from WHO20 Apr 2020 19:11
From the FT live feed
WHO orders more than 30m tests for countries that most need them
Camilla Hodgson in London
The World Health Organization has ordered more than 30m Covid-19 tests for countries in desperate need of them.
The diagnostic tests, ordered from five companies, will be delivered over the next four months to “countries that need them the most”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general at a news conference on Monday.
The first shipment will begin next week, via a supply chain being coordinated by the UN's World Food Programme. Dr Tedros said the WHO had worked with Unicef and other partners to identify accurate coronavirus tests that could be manufactured in large quantities.
The WFP is coordinating the delivering of key supplies such as gloves and masks to more than 100 “priority countries”.