June 7 , 2020
The Mastercard Foundation and Africa Centres for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC Africa) have teamed up to procure one million test kits and train 10,000 community healthcare workers and 80 surveillance rapid responders. This aims to support contact tracing as well as strengthen Africa CDC’s capacity to oversee a continental response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Foundation is committing 40 million dollars to Africa CDC’s Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT). Africa CDC in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network will be undertaking the response measures. PACT is anchored on the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 endorsed by the Bureau of Heads of State and Government of the African Union to help contain COVID-19 transmission in Africa. Its main goals are to strengthen the capacity to test, trace and treat COVID-19 cases on the continent. To date, Africa CDC has distributed more than 2.5 million tests and provided supplies such as personal protective equipment, thermal scanners and ventilators across Africa. As of May 31, 2020, it had also deployed 164 community health workers to support the response to COVID-19 in Ethiopia, where Africa CDC is headquartered, and in 14 other member states.
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