The CEPI global epidemic response coalition said on Tuesday it will put a further $4.4 million into deals with the biotech firm Novavax and Britain’s University of Oxford to rapidly develop potential vaccines against COVID-19.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), set up to fight emerging epidemics, said the extra funding brought its total investment in development of new vaccines against the new coronavirus to $23.7 million.

As of Tuesday, there were more than 114,300 cases of COVID-19 infection with the new coronavirus worldwide and at least 4,026 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

CEPI’s chief executive Richard Hatchett said the group was working at speed to develop a vaccine, which he said would be “crucial in the world’s efforts to tackle this virus”.