US commits $3.6 million to assist India’s response to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $3.6 million to assist India’s response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, said the US Embassy in an official statement on Tuesday. This initial tranche of funding will seek to further strengthen and support the Centre’s efforts to increase laboratory capacity for testing, including molecular diagnostics and serology.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $3.6 million to assist India’s response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, said the US Embassy in an official statement on Tuesday. This initial tranche of funding will seek to further strengthen and support the Centre’s efforts to increase laboratory capacity for testing, including molecular diagnostics and serology.

The funds will also be used to support the development of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) centres of excellence that can improve the ability of hospital networks to detect COVID-19 and strengthen local health systems through enhanced surveillance and monitoring systems, added the statement.

The CDC will work with local partners to assist in the development of a strong public health workforce to support India’s capacity to respond not only to this pandemic but to future threats as well. The scope of support will include planning for health emergency operations centres to further strengthen public health emergency management capacities, further said the statement.

In addition, the programme will provide technical assistance for the Centre’s ongoing crisis emergency and risk communication efforts. Since early January, the CDC’s India Office has been collaborating with sub-national and national government institutes to support the COVID-19 response in India, added the statement.

Collaboration efforts are focused on lab strengthening, infection prevention and control, health workforce development, emergency management, risk communication, and community engagement.

The CDC has conducted training across India for healthcare administrators, physicians, nurses, and hospital staff on preparedness and response, infection prevention and control, laboratory operations, and field epidemiology to equip frontline response workers with the necessary skills to collect, analyze, and interpret data, and contribute to evidence-based decisions.

The goal of the CDC’s global health response to COVID-19 is to limit human-to-human transmission and minimize the impact of COVID-19 through partnerships with the key country and non-governmental partners to mitigate vulnerabilities and gaps in preparedness.