The UK has announced to send £200 million in aid to help developing nations battle COVID-19. The aid will protect the British public and help prevent a second wave of coronavirus coming to the UK by slowing its spread in the most vulnerable countries, Department for International Development (DFID) Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said. According to DFID, the package of £200 million will back UK charities and international organisations to help reduce mass infections in developing countries which often lack the healthcare systems to track and halt the virus. The latest announcement of aid brings the total amount of UK aid committed to the global fight against coronavirus to £744 million, making the UK one of the biggest donors to the international response, department responsible for administrating overseas aid claimed. Britain’s funding will help install new hand-washing stations and isolation and treatment centres in refugee camps, and increase access to clean water for those living in areas of armed conflict, DFID confirmed. The new UK aid includes £130 million for UN agencies in response to their urgent appeal for support. Of this, £65 million will go to the World Health Organization (WHO) which is coordinating international efforts to end the pandemic sooner. Health experts have identified the weakness of developing countries’ healthcare systems as one of the biggest risks to the global spread of the virus. They have also warned that if coronavirus is left to spread in developing countries, this could lead to the virus re-emerging in the UK later in the year and put further pressure on the NHS. DFID said the funding will also help developing countries to rapidly identify and care for patients with symptoms in order to limit human-to-human transmission. DFID Secretary Trevelyan said: “While our brilliant doctors and nurses fight coronavirus at home, we’re deploying British expertise and funding around the world to prevent a second deadly wave reaching the UK. “Coronavirus does not respect country borders so our ability to protect the British public will only be effective if we strengthen the healthcare systems of vulnerable developing countries too,” Anne-Marie added. DFID also said that UK has already committed £250 million of aid to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to rapidly develop a coronavirus vaccine, the biggest donation of any country. Due to this investment, future vaccines will be made available at the lowest possible price to the NHS and other countries’ healthcare system, DFID concluded.