Jack gives me $14 million to help scientists develop a coronavirus vaccine

According to foreign media, the billionaire has offered 40 million yen (5.8m dollars) for two Chinese government research organisations, according to a social media post by Jack Ma.

While the rest of the funds will reportedly be used to support the “preventive and treatment measures, the foundation said.

The donation follows a Saturday announcement by Alibaba that it is creating a $1 billion jun fund ($144m) to buy medical equipment for the province of Wuhan and Hubei, the focus of the virus's outbreak.

The company is also providing free computer power for scientific research organisations to support research for a vaccine or treatment of the virus.

Alibaba is one of a host of Chinese technology companies that are donate funds for coronavirus treatment efforts, according to the state newspaper China Daily.

But according to local media, besides Alibaba, donations have also provided intelligent phone manufacturer Huawei, the electronic trade company Tencent (TCEHY), the Baidu (BIDU) research engine, the owner of TikTok ByteDance and food delivery firm Meitan-Dianping.

According to CNN, scientists in the United States and China are among those who work for such a vaccine.

However, at least as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the United States, may spend more than a year until such a vaccine is available.

Otherwise, according to CNN, the virus has killed at least 132 people, with nearly 6,000 cases confirmed in China's territory. More than 80 cases have been confirmed elsewhere, including in the United States and Australia.