While the global community has certainly experienced unprecedented hardship in the wake of COVID-19, many organizations worldwide have stepped up to offer help where it is needed. Belize has been a recipient of such aid, having recently experienced a medical supply shortage in all geographic regions. In response to these limitations, as well as shortages of trained response teams, donations of medical equipment, testing kits and training programs have been offered by various countries and international groups. Below are four ways the international community has responded to COVID-19 in Belize.

4 Ways the International Community Has Responded to COVID-19 in Belize

1. International COVID-19 Relief Donations. In response to shortages of testing kits and medical supplies, the Pan American Health Organization, together with the World Health Organization, made multiple donations to both the Belize Ministry of Health and the Central Medical Laboratory in April and May 2020. These donations included personal protective equipment necessary to keep health providers safe as well as supplies needed to conduct testing. These organizations were able to donate 100 gowns, 420 N-95 masks, 1,500 boxes of gloves, 750 reaction kits and 130 testing swabs to support the fight against COVID-19 in Belize.
2. Taiwanese Donation of COVID-19 Supplies. Not only has Belize has been receiving donations of medical equipment from international relief organizations, but also from individual countries working to make a difference. Taiwan has made multiple donations to Belize in June and July of 2020. The donations included; thousands of testing kits, thermometers, ventilators, and protective equipment including over 270,000 masks, together totaling more than $1 million in supplies. A large hurdle in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Belize is accurate and fast testing: to aid with this obstacle, Taiwan developed rapid antibody tests able to deliver results in just 15 minutes with 95% specificity, and included 5,000 of these tests, along with accompanying analyzers, in their donation to Belize. These donations are just a single example of the long-standing friendship between the two countries.
3. Community Volunteer Training for COVID-19 Centers. The Pan American Health Organization, along with the World Health Organization and the Belize Ministry of Health, held training sessions in April and May 2020 to provide volunteer medical staff with life-saving information regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19. The training included instruction on proper management of quarantine centers as well as practical infection prevention education. These training sessions have been provided on an ongoing basis by the Ministry of Health, and have been successful in preparing Red Cross volunteers for as-needed deployment to quarantine centers across Belize, as regions have been experiencing varying needs for additional resources as case numbers fluctuate. Another way these training sessions have prepared volunteers to face COVID-19 in Belize is through psychosocial support and training, helping to produce volunteers that are prepared to fight COVID-19 on all fronts.
4. World Bank COVID-19 Assistance Program. In addition to the clear health implications of COVID-19 in Belize, the country’s most vulnerable populations have also experienced severe social and economic challenges in the wake of the pandemic. In response, the World Bank donated 12.4 million in July 2020 to support Belize’s social protection programs. The funds will be managed by the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation, and will provide support for those most affected by COVID-19. Support will specifically be used to further aid those already receiving government assistance as well as those who don’t normally qualify, under a temporary COVID-19 relief program. Funds will be allocated to those experiencing poverty, with priority going to households containing children, pregnant women, elderly or persons with disabilities. The donation is expected to affect as many as 13,000 households affected by COVID-19 in Belize.

Efforts such as these are making progress against the spread of COVID-19 in Belize, and demonstrate the benefits of global cooperation amid a devastating pandemic.

– Jazmin Johnson
Photo: Unsplash