WHO’s Regional office for the Americas - the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recently contributed a substantial donation of laboratory equipment, 45-minute result COVID-19 tests, laptops, mobile phones and modems to the Bahamas Ministry of Health to fight the ongoing pandemic.
Three sites are being equipped expanding the country’s COVID-19 daily testing capacity.
The same donated laboratory equipment will be used in the future for tuberculosis, hepatitis and influenza testing. Communications equipment donated by WHO/PAHO will support the country’s COVID-19 contact tracing programme which is also being expanded in response to the recent surge in case numbers.
PAHO continues to provide technical advice and support to the Bahamas during the COVID-19 outbreak response in the areas of laboratory testing, surveillance, risk communication, mental health as well as infection prevention and control. PAHO has also been active in training health care workers in the country.