COVID-19 testing swab.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua--The government of Brazil has donated 6,000 COVID-19 test kits to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), in a bid to help countries in the sub-region in the fight against the pandemic.
When COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, the OECS embarked on a rigorous response to mitigate its effects on the Member States and this response included renewed partnerships with development agencies, a new partnership with the private sector and support from bi-lateral friends.
Earlier this month, the government of Brazil donated US $100,000 to the OECS in support of their response to obtain testing supplies.
So far, 8,000 swabs/sample kits have already been distributed to the nine participating Member States of the OECS Pharmaceutical Procurement Services (PPS).
Of that number, 2,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits have been donated to St. Lucia, while another 2,000 have been earmarked for Grenada, given the recent cluster of COVID-19 cases.
The remaining test kits will be kept in storage to assist Member States that may need them in the future.
Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to St. Lucia and the OECS, Anuar Nahes said this initial donation is just the beginning of Brazil’s willingness to assist the OECS region.
“The Brazil Cooperation Agency has asked me to convey to you that they are ready to do more. With the exception of vaccinations, they are ready to share much-needed supplies with the OECS and its Member States.”
Dr. Carlene Radix, Head of the Human and Social Cluster received the donation on behalf of the OECS, noting that these tests will help augment Member States’ capacity and response to the in-country testing needs. She said, “The 6,000 test kits from this initial donation by Brazil will go a very long way in terms of increasing the capacity of testing for our Member States, especially those who are experiencing clusters of cases, because now the in-country laboratories have scaled up their operations to be able to meet the testing demands.”
“This donation is another example of the benefits to be derived from the OECS Economic Union,” said Nahes, who handed over St. Lucia’s allocation to the country’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belmar-George. ~ Antigua News Room ~
