Pledging Support

Everyone wants to help in the fight against COVID-19. This ‘want to help’ is prompting creativity and innovative thinking around the globe.

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus cases continues to rise, entrepreneurs, businesses, the research community and multimillionaire philanthropists are pledging their support.

Local communities

We have seen support in local communities. Neighbours looking after the elderly and people with higher risk of contracting the virus. Supermarkets have specific times for the elderly to get their shopping. Pharmacists are delivering prescriptions and in general everyone is looking out for everyone else.

Distilleries and breweries

Distilleries in the US and Europe have added hand sanitiser to their usual products.

Ford and Dyson

In the UK, the government has turned to some of the country’s biggest industrial names, including Rolls Royce and the electronics manufacturer Dyson to help build lifesaving ventilators.

Jack Dorsey – CEO of Twitter and Square

Jack Dorsey, the iconoclastic multibillionaire CEO of both Twitter and Square, pledged $1 billion to fight back against COVID-19. In a Tweet late Tuesday afternoon, Dorsey wrote, “I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education, and UBI.”

In a unique stroke of transparency, Dorsey shared a Google Doc link to how the money will be utilized. The initial grant from Start Small, will be $100,000 to America’s Food Fund. This charity offers meals to people who are disadvantaged due to the virus outbreak.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the billionaire Microsoft founder and philanthropist plans to help fund factories for seven promising vaccines, even before seeing conclusive data. That’s even though two of the programs—at most—will make it through to final development and deployment.

The world can’t wait for traditional vaccine deployment timelines, so the foundation aims to help scale up manufacturing during testing, instead of after.

The foundation is picking the seven “most promising” vaccine constructs and will help fund factories for all seven. Bill Gates acknowledges the plan will result in the loss of “a few billion dollars” on projects that don’t pan out.

If you have a business and wish to offer some support in the fight against COVID-19, follow the links below for Ireland and UK:

Offers of help to the NHS

Offers of help to the HSE

If you wish to purchase your own Uccello Kettle please follow the link below:

https://www.uccellodesigns.com/where-to-buy/