In an effort to aid Guyana and other countries in the Caribbean to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, the United States Government has committed an additional US$1.7M, and this support will be provided through coordinating with the local Government, international humanitarian partners, and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment.
According to US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, “The United States Government is committed to assisting the people of Guyana to combat the spread of COVID-19 to prevent illness and deaths associated with the dreaded pandemic and ultimately improve the quality of life and the economic outcomes of this wonderful country and its people.”
Through this assistance, USAID will support:
1) Infection prevention and control in health-care facilities.
2) Communications to help educate people on steps they can take to prevent and respond to the spread of the virus, through country-specific media campaigns.
3) Surveillance and rapid response with case-finding and event-based surveillance for COVID-19.
A release today on the US Embassy in Guyana’s Facebook page reminded that the USAID also helps countries train and support rapid-response teams to investigate cases and conduct contact tracing.
It also pointed out that previously in Guyana, it has contributed substantially to improving the healthcare services, systems and infrastructure with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Cervical Cancer and Zika infections.
“Support through USAID and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) resulted in Guyana being the first country in the region to attain the 1st pillar in the goal to achieve epidemic control of HIV; by diagnosing at least 90% of those persons estimated to be living with HIV. Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19,” the post on Facebook also stated.
