The Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF), a financing mechanism housed at the World Bank, announced on Wednesday it allocated $195.84 million to 64 of the world's poorest countries with reported cases of COVID-19, according to the official website.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked the World Bank of its allocation on Twitter, writing "We are only as strong as our weakest link & to end this pandemic we must act in solidarity.”

The funds will provide additional support to these countries in their COVID-19 response, including essential and critical lifesaving medical equipment, personal protective equipment, therapeutics and medicine, and support for health workers on the frontlines of the crisis.

"This funding is in addition to the World Bank Group's commitment of up to 160 billion U.S. dollars to fight COVID-19," said Annette Dixon, Vice President for Human Development at the World Bank.

"PEF funding will supplement the critical emergency support operations underway to help save lives, detect, prevent and respond to coronavirus in poor countries," Dixon added.