The charity fund of billionaire Ly Gia Thanh announced his support of 100 million Hong Kong dollars for an effort to fight pneumonia in Wuhan City.

In a brief statement yesterday, the Li Gia Thanh Foundation said that HK $ 100 million (nearly 13 million USD) was sent through the central government liaison office to "support health professionals." at the frontline fighting the outbreak of new strain of corona virus (nCoV) in Wuhan ".

The fund is also seeking supplies from around the world to provide medical equipment and supplies for health workers in Hong Kong Special Zone and Wuhan City, a spokesman said.

Ly Gia Thanh, 91, is the founder of the real estate, telecommunications and CK port group, with an estimated fortune of $ 28.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. The billionaire retired in 2018, but remains a senior adviser to the group.

He is one of the Hong Kong tycoons that raises money for charities, hospitals and local governments in mainland China in the fight against pneumonia. They donated a total of one billion yuan (US $ 1.11 billion) to efforts to control and prevent the pandemic, according to Beijing's Hong Kong representative office.

In a press release yesterday, the office said the contributions reflected the great concern of the people of Hong Kong to the mainland. The office also received approximately HK $ 750,000 (US $ 96,600) from individuals and social organizations that contributed to the anti-nCoV effort.

"We have contacted the Chinese Red Cross and will hand over the related contributions to use on demand," the statement said.

The outbreak of pneumonia caused by nCoV started in Wuhan City, the capital of Hubei Province, since early December 2019 and has spread to 31 provinces and cities of China and 26 countries and territories around the globe, doing at least 1,018 people died and more than 40,000 were infected. Hong Kong has so far recorded 42 cases and one death.

Countries with nCoV pneumonia patients. Click on image to see details.