geneva experts behind a global push to develop and roll out a vaccine and other treatment for the coronavirus say their ambitions require a big budget the world health organization and its allies made a pitch for their actaccelerator that aims to get a covid19 vaccine and treatment tools to the neediest people around the world no matter the costthey were speaking a day before a european union conference to drum up support and funds for the initiative that the united states has shunned so farultimately who and partners say the project needs more than 31 billion through the end of 2021 for vaccines therapeutics and diagnostics to fight a disease that has caused more than 96 million confirmed cases and killed more than 490000 people worldwideif we dont rally now the human costs and the economic pain will deepen said dr ngozi okonjoiweala one of the who chiefs special envoys for the initiative so though these numbers sound big theyre not when we think of the alternativesjust think of the trillions of dollars that have had to be spent in order to stimulate economies back she said if we spend billions now well be able to avoid spending trillions later