Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on Saturday that the Cupertino firm will donate money in support of the fight against the outbreak of the Coronavirus in China.
In a morning tweet, marking the Lunar New Year, the Apple CEO said the company will be “donating to groups on the ground helping support all of those affected.”
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals, including humans, and birds. In humans, the virus causes respiratory infections which are typically mild but may rarely be lethal. This particular strain has never been detected before. Doctors have dubbed it as 2019-nCov, for “novel coronavirus.”
The new virus causes acute respiratory infection. Since its discovery in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, it has killed at least 42 people and infected 1,372 across China.
Saturday saw Australia confirm its first cases in Melbourne, with three more found in Sydney. Two cases have been discovered in the United States, and three cases have been confirmed in France. So far, the cases have mostly involved folks that had recently traveled from the affected region in China.
Apple has a history of providing aid in the wake of natural disasters, including fires in California and Australia, as well as disaster relief efforts following natural disasters such as hurricanes.