Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is joining the fight against COVID-19 with an incredible donation to Penn Medicine to help fund research efforts into COVID-19.
Lurie will be donating $1 million to Penn Medicine, helping establish the COVID-19 Immunology Defense Fund. The money will help provide financial support for ongoing research to test front-line health care workers for potential COVID-19 immunity.
“We are in the midst of a humanitarian crisis that is affecting all of us in so many ways,” Lurie said, via Penn Medicine. “Every passing day brings new stories of heartbreaking tragedy, inspirational courage, and hopeful innovation. We can and will get through this, but only if we work together, care for each other, and focus our attention and resources towards sustainable strategies. There are so many individuals and organizations who are making daily sacrifices, and we are incredibly thankful for their dedication and bravery. We must continue to support these efforts in every way that we can, while also seeking a solution that will help us move forward.”
Lurie is contributing to the same organization that Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid and two of the team’s partners donated $1.4 million to help.
Penn Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania’s health system, is working to help find treatments and solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NFL community has now donated more than $35 million towards COVID-19 relief and research efforts. From the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills to individual players, the outpouring of support has been absolutely amazing.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are now more than 270,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. As of Thursday afternoon, the number of cases in Philadelphia surpassed 8,000.