The US Embassy in South Africa reported on April 16 that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has increased its financial support for South Africa’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic by $1.8-million. This took total US assistance for South Africa's fight against Covid-19 to some $2.77-million. USAID had initially released $500 000 for South Africa, on March 11, subsequently increasing this to $970 000. The funding comes from USAID’s Emergency Reserve Fund.

“Today’s funding announcement supports a comprehensive effort by the United States government to assist the South African people during the Covid-19 pandemic,” states the Embassy in its media release. “The United States 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.”

The CDC has deployed staff to the NDoH and the NICD to provide both data entry operations and provincial support. The CDC is creating a “virus shedding protocol” which will allow the estimation of risk factors, transmission dynamics and disease burden. This will contribute to the development of public health protocols, which will halt the transmission of the disease and save lives.

South Africa’s anti-Covid-19 programme is also benefitting from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This helped develop health worker training, clinic and laboratory systems, and modelling and surveillance systems, which are now helping in the struggle against Covid-19. More than 5 000 Community Healthcare Workers, who are supported by PEPFAR, will add Covid-19 screening to HIV-adherence checks during their door-to-door activities. (Through PEPFAR, over 17 years the US has provided R80-million to South Africa.) 

This assistance is part of America’s tradition of providing health aid around the world. The US is the world’s most generous provider of bilateral health assistance.

“Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously made available more than $100-billion in health assistance and nearly $70-billion in humanitarian assistance globally,” points out the Embassy. “This has helped to position [our] partners to provide their citizens with life-saving support during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In addition to bilateral health aid, the US also contributes to multilateral health assistance. It provided $400-million to the World Health Organisation last year (almost twice the amount provided by the second largest State contributor). Last year it also gave $1.7-billion to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees to help especially vulnerable people during the pandemic, as well as $700-million to the UN Children’s Fund to support immunisation programmes, health and sanitation assistance and training programmes, and other life-saving activities.