Elton John announced on Saturday that his AIDS Foundation has launched a $1 million COVID-19 emergency fund. The fund is meant to help support people with HIV/AIDS who are now coping with the additional COVID-19 crisis, John said in a Twitter video.
“For almost 30 years, we have prioritized people around the world who are most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and those most likely to be left behind as HIV treatment and care expands,” the foundation wrote.
“Today, those people become extra vulnerable because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are launching a new COVID-19 Emergency Fund that can protect the people we have always sought to serve through HIV care, treatment and prevention, as well as mitigating the damage that COVID-19 can do, particularly to the global gains we are making for more than 37 million people already living with HIV.”
John added in the video that “distributing medicines, testing and preventive treatment is not as simple as it was a few weeks ago.” The new emergency fund is intended to help with that.
Today, I’m proud to announce that my Foundation @EJAF is launching a $1million COVID-19 Emergency Fund to make sure that our frontline partners can respond to the effects of COVID-19 on HIV care for the most marginalised communities around the world. pic.twitter.com/g4wh9dnd3d
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) April 4, 2020
“We must keep up momentum or else the results could be disastrous for people living with HIV and other infectious diseases. We’re with you, we’re thinking of you and we will not leave anyone behind,” John said.
Elton John first founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992. For almost 30 years, the foundation has been working for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in countries all around the world.
The COVID-19 emergency fund isn’t the singer’s first time stepping up in the fight against the new global pandemic. He also held a coronavirus relief concert on March 29 called the “Living Room Concert for America,” featuring a variety of stars performing safely from their homes. Singers included Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys, and the Backstreet Boys. The event raised over $10 million for the fight against coronavirus.
