KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica is set to benefit from Canada’s donation of US$5.3 million to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the response to COVID-19 in 23 countries of the Americas.

The contribution will benefit a total of fifteen Caribbean countries — Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago and eight countries in Central and South America — Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and Paraguay.

According to PAHO the collaboration will primarily support increased access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical supplies to assist countries in their efforts to save lives and limit the human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 diseases, focusing on populations experiencing marginalisation or vulnerability including health care workers.

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its contribution to the Pan American response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. This outbreak has caused large upheavals in the health systems of our region, and our countries need all the support they can get. Canadian backing for health protection measures in the Caribbean, Central and South America will help their health workers deal more effectively with these challenges,” said PAHO Director Carissa F Etienne.

Canada’s contribution comes in addition to a previous allocation of CAD$1.5 million made to PAHO earlier this year to support the overall regional response to COVID-19, in response to priorities outlined in the donor appeal published by the organisation.

Canada’s Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, said, “The COVID-19 virus knows no borders and cooperation with international partners such as PAHO has been key to fighting this global pandemic and minimizing its impact on health systems. Canada recognizes the essential role that PAHO plays in responding to health challenges and emergencies in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

In the spirit of the ongoing collaboration with the Canadian government, Dr Etienne and Gould met today to further discuss how to address the immediate needs and impact of the pandemic in the Region of the Americas

PAHO launched a Donor Appeal in March 2020 to support and scale-up COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts in the Region of the Americas, seeking US$94.8 million for six months. So far, it has received US$52.7 million for urgent preparedness and response activities in response to COVID-19, including US$23.2 million channeled through the World Health Organization (WHO) and US$29.5 million directly to PAHO.