The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has delivered a second shipment of 100 ventilators to South Africa to assist with its national response to COVID-19.
“Patients deserve the best possible care we can provide. Ventilators are an important part of supporting that care, which this donation makes possible,” said Dr. Sophia Siddiqui, U.S. Health Attache.
The second shipment of ventilators arrived in South Africa on July 5, 2020. The first shipment of ventilators arrived in South Africa in May and, with guidance from the South African National Department of Health, have been installed and are supporting COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Gauteng, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape.
In addition to ventilator donations, USAID will train up to 10,000 critical care nurses and physicians to ensure safe and effective utilization of donated ventilators through online modules. The training launched Monday, June 22, 2020.
USAID will also support supply chain assistance for oxygen therapy and has procured 25 high flow nasal cannula oxygen units for the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health, another important emerging intervention for patients with respiratory failure.
“For more than a half century, the United States has been the largest contributor to global health security and humanitarian assistance. We were on the front lines in the fight against Ebola, we support countries in their battles against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other infectious diseases, and we are leading the global response to COVID-19. We remain, as we always have been, your strong partner in global health,” said U.S. Ambassador Lana Marks.
Through an All-of-America approach, the United States is providing life-saving support by coordinating with the Government of South Africa and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment. The total U.S. government financial commitment to South Africa’s COVID-19 response is over US$41.6 million (R767 million).
Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.
To see our first press release on the ventilators, please go here.
For more information on the U.S. global response to COVID-19, please click here.