In a statement, the US Embassy and Consulates on Thursday said that previously the US government had committed $970,000, including the first $500,000 announced on March 11, to the Covid-19 response in South Africa.  

The announcement also provides for an additional $1.8 million in funding from the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Emergency Reserve Fund. 

This funding will support the South African government’s critical needs, including surveillance rapid response, case management and risk communication.

According to the statement, the funding announcement supports a comprehensive effort by the US government to assist the South African people during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Furthermore, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing technical assistance to South Africa’s National Department of Health (NDoH) and National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), focused on containing the spread of this virus and mitigating its impact in South Africa.  

These efforts include work by public health experts to assist South Africa in developing guidelines for risk communication, identification, isolation, testing and contact tracing for persons under investigation for Covid-19. 

The CDC is also developing a virus-shedding protocol to estimate disease burden, risk factors and transmission dynamics, which will help inform public health protocols to stop transmission of the disease and save lives.  

On the front line, the CDC has deployed staff to the?NDoH and NICD to support data entry activities and support at the provincial level.

Meanwhile, the efforts of the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) in the development of lab and clinic systems, modelling and surveillance, and health-worker training is providing critical support to South Africa’s Covid-19 response. 

As South Africa responds to this pandemic, more than 5,000 PEPFAR-supported community health-care workers will integrate door-to-door Covid-19 screening and HIV adherence activities to allow for an immediate and co-ordinated response.

South Africa has 2,605 reported cases and 48 Covid-19-related deaths. The country is also leading the African continent in conducting 95,060 tests since the start of the outbreak.

African News Agency