EU provides US$8.6M grant for C’bean to combat COVID-19

Apr 09, 2020 News

With the aim of assisting the Caribbean to fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the European Union (EU) has provided a grant of €8M (US$8.6M), which will be implemented by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
Funds from this grant will support the CARPHA, and by extension Caribbean member states, in preventing, detecting, isolating, controlling and treating the Coronavirus— which thus far has a total of 417,416 confirmed cases with 12,597 deaths in the Regions of the Americas.
Member states will also be guided on how to strengthen the public’s education regarding the virus, behavioral change programmes on communicable diseases, as well as strengthening the coordination of the Caribbean region and institutional capacity of the CARPHA in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.
This financial boost will also pave the way for vaccines and treatment when available, and will permit the CARPHA to hire two laboratory technologists who would assist in the anticipated surge in demand for testing for the Coronavirus.
Additionally, this grant will be utilized to purchase COVID-19 testing kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), testing reagents, masks and other medical equipment that are required for testing of the disease.
Additionally, the grant will also seek to boost the capacity of Caribbean countries to conduct testing for the Coronavirus, tracing persons who might have come into contact with infected individuals, and aiding isolation and quarantine procedures.