PAHO/WHO led partnership delivers 80,000 antigen rapid COVID-19 tests to boost Jamaica’s testing capacity

Kingston, Jamaica, Oct 26, 2020: The Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) in partnership with the UK Government, and the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund have delivered over 80,000 antigen rapid diagnostic COVID-19 tests to the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) in a ceremony held today as part of a large COVID response package worth over $1 million USD that included nine oxygen concentrators and over 350,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) consisting of N95 respirators, along with face shields and medical masks.

New antigen rapid tests will slash COVID-19 results processing time down from days to just 30 minutes. After appropriate training, private labs and regional health centres will also be able to perform tests at the point of care, which will decentralise testing, reduce the burden on national laboratories and increase Jamaica’s testing capacity.

“The introduction of antigen rapid testing comes at a critical juncture in the COVID-19 response,” said the Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, on receiving the donation. “Testing is a critical cornerstone of the COVID-19 response and antigen rapid tests will give our response the added boost needed to further contain the spread of the virus.”

British High Commissioner to Jamaica Asif Ahmad underscored the importance of maintaining the safety of frontline workers as they respond to the surge in COVID-19 cases across the island.

“The UK is concerned about the safety of local frontline healthcare heroes and by replenishing stockpiles of PPE we are meeting an essential need. Speed is of the essence in tackling COVID-19 and antigen rapid tests will give Jamaica vital time to isolate and treat those who are infected by the virus. Our approach to the pandemic is to work closely with Jamaica, international organisations and also offer direct support,” said Ahmad.  

PAHO has already begun to help implement new testing protocols so health workers learn how to use the new diagnostic tests and record their results. 

Dr Bernadette Theodore-Gandi highlighted that the new antigen rapid diagnostic test is not meant to replace the PCR test which remains the gold standard in COVID-19 testing.

“PAHO believes the new antigen rapid tests will be a game changer for Jamaica’s testing capabilities, offering a cheaper and faster alternative to give the response the flexibility it needs to increase the pace of testing, tracing and treating people for COVID-19 at the point of care to stay ahead of the virus and slow the spread,” said Dr Gandi.

COVID-19 has caused major disruptions in service delivery for many organisations including those that provide essential community support needs. A portion of the funding for this relief package was mobilised through the United Nations COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (COVID-19 MPTF), which aims to boost the capacity of developing nations to respond the global pandemic.

UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund

The United Nations (UN) COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (COVID-19 MPTF) is a UN inter-agency finance mechanism launched by the UN Secretary-General to support low- and middle- income programme countries in overcoming the health and development crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund’s assistance targets those most vulnerable to economic hardship and social disruption.

Built on the lessons learned from the Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund, the UN COVID-19 MPTF helps finance the three objectives of the UN Secretary-General’s Call for Solidarity, a plea for global action to stop the COVID-19 pandemic and the suffering it has caused. The Call’s objectives are to tackle the health emergency; focus on the social impact, and the economic response and recovery; and help countries recover better.

Multi-Partner Donation

 A complete breakdown of the donation is as follows: