Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday that it needed US$61.5 million to address the near-term impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The health authority's executive board said at a plenary session in Geneva that measures were to be taken within the next three months.

WHO needs US$45 million to assess national preparedness for the epidemic and fund emergency response, with US$12 million required to set up an international coordination mechanism.

The agency is also in need of US$4.5 million for research.

Several countries are working against the clock to develop a vaccine against the new strain of coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan.