UPDATE: According to a newly released press statement and report, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation has donated $5 million to Barbados and the United States. This donation will help fund COVID-19 research, expand COVID-19 testing, buy medical supplies and other medical operations. In addition, funds will be used to aid food banks across the country.
Rihanna has reportedly offered to donate $700,000 worth of ventilators to her native country of Barbados to help with COVID-19 efforts. Entertainment Tonight reports that Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley confirmed the news.
This moves comes as no surprise considering the pop singer’s philanthropic efforts of the past. Notably, she helped found the Clara Lionel Foundation in honor of her grandparents. The foundation works to support the Braithwaite Center for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.
As of this weekend, Loop News Barbados reports a total of six deaths tied to the COVID-19 virus in the country. Meanwhile, the United States has reported over 15,000 confirmed cases and 200 deaths. Globally, John Hopkins University has reported over 275,000 confirmed cases, over 11,000 deaths and approximately 88,000 recovered patients.
