Representatives of civil society and social networks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia addressed an open letter on the WHO’s response to Russia’s war against Ukraine. They demand that the World Health Organization recognize Russia’s aggression as a threat to public health, human rights and democratic values in Ukraine and around the world, and urge WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Gebreis to visit Ukraine in the coming days.
“WHO and other international agencies’ statements should be carefully considered in the context of a war of misinformation that Russia is leading to discredit Ukraine, lying to the world that Ukrainians are Nazis, – it is said in the letter. – It is very important that appealing to principles of justice, equity and equality – should lead to catalyzing responses in Ukraine, and particularly regarding key populations, and lead to the acceptance of more refugees from Ukraine, and justify doing more to oppose Russian aggression against this peaceful nation”.
The authors of the letter expect that the WHO, in accordance with its mandate, will do more to prepare a national health response to hostilities in the Donbas. Responses should be independent of the contributions of the Russian Federation or other Member States to WHO.
“We, regional and global public health professionals and community and civil society activists, call on WHO to make a strong statement on Ukraine, with clear public health messaging and a bold plan to support people in need and mitigate human suffering that will come with the escalation of the Russian military activities in the Eastern part of Ukraine and Donbas region in particular!
According to the authors of the appeal, the war is expected to intensify in the coming days in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, and the country still lacks doctors, medicines and basic medical equipment.
“Ukraine alone is not ready to be able to support lives in the East of Ukraine on its own, without an accelerated increase of international assistance in all key areas, – they say. – We respect the technical support provided by WHO regional and country offices who are working hard to support the health response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, but need further actions of the leading global public health opinion shapers to encourage more support and mitigate the anticipated casualties”.

Open letter from civil society and community networks on WHO health response to the war of Russia against Ukraine

Today is exactly a month since the terrible war in Ukraine started. On 24 February 2022, unprecedented military aggression against the civilian population of our country began. Every day, hundreds of women, children and elderly people are killed and injured in Ukrainian cities and villages hit by the enemy’s air strikes and shelling. Millions of Ukrainians have to leave their homes and seek refuge in the West. Those who are not able to leave, spend weeks in basements and bomb shelters, not suitable for long stay, without proper air ventilation or sanitation; many of them have no electricity, connection, medicines or food…

In these dire conditions, people with tuberculosis (TB) have become even more vulnerable due to the threat of treatment interruption and late diagnosis.

In spite of the danger, our partner NGOs in the regions of Ukraine are doing the impossible! They selflessly continue providing medical and psychosocial support to people with TB: they are reviewing their needs, which have increased greatly during the war, delivering food and hygiene kits and providing people with medicines, which is especially important considering unstable transport connections.

Even in the regions facing a humanitarian crisis, patients with sensitive and drug-resistant TB still receive treatment and humanitarian aid. In occupied Kherson, 332 patients receive therapy and social support on a timely basis and afterwards together with NGO employees go to the rallies against Russian occupation. In Donetsk, Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions, which are under daily artillery shelling and missile attacks, partner organizations supported by Alliance provide support to over 900 patients. They do it in basements and bomb shelters. Many patients had to leave their homes and seek not only refuge but also treatment in other safer regions. For over two weeks, there is no connection with TB patients and social workers in Mariupol. We have no idea if they are still alive.

Alliance is providing humanitarian aid to inpatient hospital departments offering treatment to people with TB on the territories with active hostilities. As for the patients transitioned to outpatient care, they are under medical and psychosocial supervision. To support such patients, Alliance in cooperation with partners developed a mechanism of patient referral and information sharing among NGOs.

Since the first days of the war, together with our partner NGOs in the regions of Ukraine and in cooperation with the Public Health Center we do everything possible to save the lives and health of people affected by TB and their communities. Alliance has been involved in the procurement, arrangement and delivery of humanitarian aid. As well as all our partners in the country, we work round the clock seven days a week to help people during the war, but it may be not enough.

Historically, TB outbreaks have been seen in the times of military conflicts. They happened after World War I and World War II. The same will happen after Ukraine-Russia war! The longer it lasts, the bigger and the more dangerous the new TB outbreak will be.

That is why, recognizing the support of our international partners, who help us in word and in deed in these hard times for our country, we call the international community to make its efforts even stronger! You must increase the pressure of sanctions against the aggressor and scale up the humanitarian support to Ukraine. Let this year’s slogan of the World TB Day be Invest to End TB War in Ukraine. Save Lives.

Special Issue: Situation in Mariupol. Situational Report: response of Alliance to challenges caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine

In this unimaginable humanitarian disaster when all of Ukraine is on fire because of unprovoked Russian aggression, civilian infrastructure in many cities and towns is destroyed (includingprivate homes, kindergarten, and health care facilities), millions of people fled their homes fear of saving their lives and trying to reach safe places – the Alliance of Public Health – the leading non-governmental professional organization making a significant impact on the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and other socially dangerous diseases in Ukraine – is, as always, in the frontline fighting for Ukraine and its people. We would like to proclaim, that we are a Ukrainian international organization and we stay with the people of Ukraine in this struggle for the sovereignty of Ukraine. Being working with vulnerable groups and people in hard living conditions during all times of our activity, Alliance is reprogramming its activities to respond to this unprecedented emergency and human suffering to support people fleeing the conflict with evacuation within Kyivand to support the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and health facilities with medical supplies and emergency surgical equipment. We also would like to support the medical workers on the front line with first aid kits, food, warm clothing, and protective gear. Alliance is committed to continuing its support for the beneficiaries of our programs who in these difficult times need support to access vital treatment and other health-related services

To support the people of Ukraine and our work on the provision of emergency assistance, we would like to ask for your support by donations in any amount in the following accounts:

Beneficiary: International Charitable Foundation “Alliance for Public Health”

Address: 24 Bulvarno-Kudriavska St., 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine

Bank name: JSC “Credit Agricole Bank”

SWIFT code: AGRIUAUKXXX

Bank address: 42/4, Pushkinska St., Kyiv – 01004, Ukraine

Purpose of Payment: Humanitarian donation.

In USD:

Account number: UA073006140000026009500299105

Correspondent bank name: Credit Agricole SA (France)

SWIFT code: AGRIFRPP

Account Number: 20586620000

Correspondent bank address: 12, place des Etats-Unis 92127 Montrouge Cedex, France

In EUR:

Account number: UA063006140000026000500198937

Correspondent bank name: Credit Agricole S.A.

SWIFT code: AGRIFRPP

Acc. No.: 20586612000

Correspondent bank address: Paris, France

In GBP:

Account number: UA773006140000026008500198939

Correspondent bank name: Credit Agricole SA (France)

SWIFT code: AGRIFRPP

Acc. No.: 21185549000

Correspondent bank address: 12, place des Etats-Unis 92127 Montrouge Cedex, France

Together we can help!

Slava Ukraina!

In 2022, the implementation of the three-year regional project “Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) Region” (abbr. #SoS 2.0) has begun. Its total budget is $13 million.

As a result of the implementation of the strategy of the three-year project, it is expected to improve the sustainability of health systems in the context of HIV prevention and treatment, human rights, in 14 countries of the region: Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Montenegro.

Efforts of regional and national #SoS 2.0 partners will be aimed at ensuring, by 2024, savings of at least 20% of funds due to optimization of test systems (CD4, BH) procurement prices, as well as at least 15% due to optimization of ART procurement prices.

The project is coordinated by the ICF “Alliance for Public Health” in partnership with the CO “100% Life“, in consortium with the Central Asian Association of People Living with HIV and SEE RCN, WHO European Office, PAS Center, EHRA, ECOM, EWNA, ENPUD, EKPC. Also, national state and non-governmental organizations representing the interests of vulnerable to HIV groups of the population, as well as people living with HIV, will be involved in the implementation of the project.

Andreas Tamberg, Portfolio Manager, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: “The #SoS 2.0 project is an unprecedented civil society initiative to fight HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Entering the second phase of the project, #SoS_project 2.0 brings together a number of leading non-governmental organizations into a consortium working to remove barriers, improve access and increase the sustainability of life-saving services for key populations in 15 countries. Thus, #SoS_project 2.0 has a unique opportunity to stimulate progress that can end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat, both in the region and globally. The Global Fund has renewed its support for the SoS project with the confidence that it will maximize the involvement of those most affected by HIV/AIDS while leaving no one behind in the fight against this deadly epidemic.”

Andriy Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health: “What are the opportunities for regional initiatives? It can be relatively small funding compared to a country one. In this project, the priority is on regional instruments and catalytic interventions. We are talking about model policies and practices/tools, pilots, regional networks. This project works with regional community networks, drug policy commission, raises issues of strategic pilot interventions that have great potential. This is an opportunity to share experience in the development of regulations that have worked in one of the countries. Digitalization is a very important direction. We see that sustainability today is the readiness of services to survive in a variety of situations, including pandemics and political tensions. Such difficult tasks are set by the regional initiative”.

It should be noted that the successful experience and expertise of the previous project will be used in the new one. For example, ART cost reduction techniques, which were used in the #SoS project for EECA countries in 2019-21, will be introduced in the Balkans. Successes in budget advocacy and municipal responses will also be used, the project team will work to increase funding and attract new cities to cooperation, especially in the SEE region.

Dmitry Sherembey, Chairman of the “100% Life” Coordination Council: “The implementation of the #SoS project in 2019-2021 has shown that our experience is in demand in the EECA region and leads to tangible results. We hope that the knowledge and expertise we have accumulated will help us reach a new qualitative level, and we will make every effort to achieve it.”

“In the new project, we continue to focus on strengthening the Test-and-Treat approach, reducing the prices of testing and treatment, human rights and budget advocacy. Among the new focuses of the project: reducing the price of HIV diagnosis, work on the decentralization of ART, a significant expansion and institutionalization of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an even greater emphasis on the rights of key populations, advocacy of services for migrants and significant work on digitalization,” said Tetiana Deshko, Director of the Department of International Programs, Alliance for Public Health.

Also, the new project plans to implement two strategic pilots: substitution therapy for stimulant users and PrEP with new long-acting ARVs. This focus is obvious given the main group that the epidemic in the region is associated with. Thus, about half of new HIV cases are registered annually among people who inject drugs. The drug scene is changing, and people who use drugs are exposed to new risks of infection. “In Europe, there are programs on ST for stimulant users, including in the Czech Republic, where we plan to learn from experience. We hope to launch a pilot in one country as a model for the region”, – said Sergey Filippovich, Project Director. – “As for the use of long-acting ARVs, this is a game changer for the response to HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis for the most vulnerable groups, an implant for a year, for example, will significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection. And for the Russian Federation, where there are no such effective and essential ST programs for PWUD, such an approach can finally have a fundamental impact on the HIV epidemic.”

“We know what programs we need to reduce the risks and improve the quality of life of people who use psychoactive substances (PS), we talked about them in detail in the ENPUD OST Position and Harm Reduction Open Letter,” – said Olga Belyaeva, Program Coordinator of ENPUD. – “It is important for ENPUD to provide opportunities for activists to work in conditions of repression, stigma and criminalization. The ENPUD model is the unification of community activists into regional thematic councils that jointly solve problems at the national level. The experience of the Expert Council for the Treatment of ENPUD has shown the benefits of cross-country cooperation: almost 18,000 participants in OST programs received targeted assistance in Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Moldova. People got access to the medicine and/or we helped restore the hand-delivery service in 2021.”

She emphasized: “The goal of ENPUD in #SoS_project 2.0 is to restore the rights of people who use psychoactive substances, so that officials, police, doctors, guilty of violating rights and causing harm, are adequately punished. At the same time, our task – to form an allied movement for a humane drug policy, i.e. return the value of the life of every person who uses PS”.

Additional Information:

The previous regional project, implemented in 2019-2021 in 15 countries of the EECA and SEE region, became the foundation for a broad partnership and consolidation of efforts in the region. Over three years of operation, over $30 million in public funding for HIV services has been allocated through social contracting mechanisms in the region. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most important achievements of the joint efforts of the #SoS_project partners and the governments of the region.

Significant contributions have also been made to advocacy for lower prices for antiretroviral therapy. For example, the cost of an annual course of first-line ART has decreased to an average of US$131 across the region, while the average cost of first-line ART in nine countries in the region in 2017 was US$192. The $119 million saved from these efforts remained inside AIDS programs.

The results of the #SoS_project 2019-2021 were widely presented at the “Health Sustainability Forum: HIV and COVID-19 in the EECA Region”, a video is available by the following link.

* HIV-vulnerable populations, key populations: people living with TB; people who use drugs; sex workers; men who have sex with men, trans* people, migrants.

On February 24, 2022, from 11:00 to 12:30 (EET), an online presentation of the results of a new pilot study to assess the prevalence of antibodies to COVID-19 in five cities of Ukraine: Vinnitsa, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Ternopil and Uzhgorod will take place.

Over the past 2 years, similar studies have also been carried out in Sweden, USA, Italy, India, Pakistan and South Africa, the overall results of which will also be presented for discussion.

Registration for participation: https://bit.ly/3Ho5U7E

Researchers in the presentations will answer the following questions:

– How much the COVID-19 epidemic affected Ukraine really?

– What is the chronology of the COVID-19 epidemic in Ukraine, judging by the population of blood donors? Does this picture match the official data?

– What age and gender groups are more likely to have antibodies to COVID-19?

– How often do people get infected with COVID-19 and don’t even know about it? What is the real proportion of asymptomatic carriers, and what is the proportion of those who need to be hospitalized for medical care?

– What percentage of individuals with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis COVID-19 were found to have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 at different times after illness?

The sample of the pilot study on the prevalence of antibodies to the pathogen SARS-CoV-2 included blood donors from five cities of Ukraine.

“Comparing the data of the blood test of donors according to the criterion of the dynamics of detection the new cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, we saw that the results of official statistics on the dynamics have the same fluctuations in the same periods. Thus, by examining the blood of donors, it is possible to monitor not only the general epidemiological situation, but also to identify with great accuracy those indicators that cannot be tracked in any other way. For example, what is the real proportion of asymptomatic carriers in the country and we can already answer this question, at least for 5 regions”, – says Nadiya Yanhol, C19RM Coordinator of the #SoS_project 2.0 at the Alliance for Public Health.

Thus, according to the results of the study, the frequency of detection of COVID-19 in blood donors was 45.5%: from 25.8% in Uzhgorod to 61% in Zhytomyr. Almost half or every second of the blood donors who did not have symptoms of acute respiratory infections or COVID-19 had COVID-19 asymptomatically.

Speakers of the event: experts from the Alliance for Public Health, the Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases named after. L.V. Gromashevsky of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, as well as experts from the Blood Service Association of Ukraine, the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the World Health Organization, etc.

Event language: English and Russian with simultaneous translation.

The current program and detailed information will be published on the Facebook event page: https://bit.ly/3ujtoqV.

According to Nadiya Yanhol, the study results are an effective source and tool for monitoring the COVID-19 epidemic in the country, in terms of the unique obtained data and optimal financial costs. “As an international charitable foundation, we aim in our work to provide maximum support for the sustainability of national healthcare systems in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Therefore, we monitor international experience, develop partnerships and, have more mobility than state institutions with the support of international donors. So we promptly conduct the latest research to test innovative approaches in the country with subsequent transfer of experience to partners from government agencies. For example, last year we developed Guide for Contingency Planning for Key Population HIV Services during COVID-19 and Other Emergencies, and after receiving the results of this operational research, we were unequivocally convinced that this is the most valuable resource for the government in addressing the managerial and scientific tasks, which have become even more relevant after a broad nationwide vaccination program and new strains of COVID-19.”

The event will be interesting for researchers and experts in the field of healthcare, the media, as well as representatives of civil society and government agencies involved in countering the COVID-19 epidemic, in order not only to demonstrate the results of the study, but also to offer authorities and society a completely new, effective financial cost points, a tool for monitoring the COVID-19 epidemic in Ukraine, and solving new managerial and scientific challenges that have become relevant after a broad nationwide vaccination program and new strains of COVID-19 in Ukraine.

The organisers of the event is the ICF Alliance for Public Health, the Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases named after. L.V. Gromashevsky of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, as well as experts from the Blood Service Association of Ukraine.

***

The event was organized with the support of  the Regional project “Sustainability of services for key populations in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (#SoS_project 2.0) with financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Alliance for Public Health, as well as other 113 civil society organisations, clinicians, advocates, and communities affected by COVID-19 urge in the Open Letter the World Health Organisation (WHO) to rapidly recommend self-testing for COVID-19 and request a leadership in more broadly improving access to diagnostics for virus. 

Specifically, signatories call on WHO to expedite the finalisation and release of a self-testing guideline for SARS-CoV-2 infection that includes a strong recommendation in favour of widespread access to self-testing.  Three major reasons that access to diagnostics broadly, and rapid antigen detection testing (RADTs) for self-testing in particular, needs to be urgently accelerated:

1. Individuals have a fundamental right to “know their status”.
2. Self-testing is critical to prevent onward transmission and to empower individuals to protect their families and communities.

3. Self-testing is a necessary tool to enable rapid linkage to care and initiation of outpatient treatment to prevent hospitalisation and death, especially among those at high risk of disease progression.

According to Nadiya Yanhol, C19RM Coordinator of the #SoS_project 2.0 at the Alliance for Public Health, expanding access to rapid tests for COVID-19, in parallel with vaccination, and especially against the backdrop of the emergence of the first drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, is urgently needed in the region. “As part of the COVID program, we are approached by representatives of NGOs and representatives of key populations with a request to provide a COVID-19 antigen tests for self-testing. At the community level, timely identification of clients infected with the virus is very important, because there is a risk of stopping the work of vital HIV services, if quarantine is necessary. The use of tests should be as convenient and safe as possible. After all, the patient takes the analysis on his own, without the participation of the medical staff, which does not require additional material costs. This is very convenient and prevents further spread of COVID-19.”

The #SoS_project team saw certain risks in the fact that the available tests did not have individual packaging, therefore, to confirm the hypothesis, they conducted a survey among end-users of tests about the convenience of using them in non-individual packaging.

“66% of those surveyed used the test for self-testing. 55%* noted that they experienced obvious discomfort during testing, since the tests were not individually packaged. They noted that sterility is not ensured in this way due to the lack of individual packaging, which is a certain barrier. Today, this request still remains unanswered, as it is not possible to purchase tests in individual packages on the Global Fund’s procurement platform. Also, today there are no WHO recommendations and national guidelines in the EECA countries that would recommend the use of Sars-Cov-2 Ag rapid tests for self-testing.” – says Nadiya Yanhol.

*of respondents who used the test from the general packaging for individual testing

Full text of the Open Letter.

Alliance for Public Health and the European AIDS Treatment Group are pleased to invite you to online Webinar “U = U = U and I can do more! – An exploration of what we can do more to get the message across”, which will take place on Zoom, 18th February 2022 at 1 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. CET.

In line with EATG’s aim to work on guidelines for healthcare service providers and to address stigma and discrimination, EATG signed on to the 2016 Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) consensus statement launched by the Prevention Access Campaign. This states that a person on fully suppressive HIV treatment cannot transmit HIV. However, there remain inconsistencies in the knowledge and understanding of U=U in non-HIV related care. In order to overcome the lack of knowledge and promote awareness and a better understanding of U=U, EATG conducted a mapping initiative that aimed to collect and report on U=U awareness-raising initiatives in HIV care services/ settings in four EECA countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

This webinar will start with a PechaKucha-style overview of the U=U background, followed by the presentation of the mapping report conducted by EATG on U=U awareness-raising initiatives in HIV and non-HIV care settings from 4 EECA countries. In the second part of the webinar, different actors will be invited to share examples and experiences of good practices from Russia, Ukraine and Italy. A final discussion will be held to reflect upon current trends and focus on what can be done in the future for a better promotion and development of the U=U agenda.

To attend the meeting, please register here.

Questions about the event? Email: marina.cognee@eatg.org

The PLOS portal published a new article “COVID Testing Equity: A Reflection Based on 1.5 Years in the ACT-Accelerator”. The post begins by mentioning the statement “Vaccines alone won’t get us out of this pandemic”, which is aimed at numerous participants in the global response to COVID. The vaccination campaign must certainly continue, but sufficient access to testing for COVID-19 is also important to stabilize and control the situation.

The material itself deals with self-testing for COVID as an important component of protecting yourself, your family and society, and one of the world’s leading partnerships – The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator platform. It is a pioneering global collaboration launched in 2020 to accelerate the development, production and equal access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.

“Access to self-testing is part of people’s fundamental right to information about their bodies,” the publication notes. The need to expand access is written by reputable media and many experts speak, but the authors of the article focus on the importance of quickly developing clear guidance on rapid antigen tests as part of the “test and treat” strategy. It became especially important with the advent of the first outpatient treatment.

What is the situation with access to rapid tests?

For example, in Canada, the #FreeTheRATs information campaign was launched demanding that the government provide free rapid tests for vulnerable categories of the population. Omicron’s surge led to a high demand for rapid antigen tests (RATs) in December 2021, and companies have responded by working around the clock and investing in automation. Germany, on the other hand, invested in rapid tests long before anyone else, while subsidizing access to self-testing antigen tests sold in pharmacies, via mobile devices called “coronabikes” and via vending machines.

Peter Sands, the Executive Director of the Global Fund wrote that “if you give people unfettered access to these easy-to-use tests giving almost instant results, they will use them to protect themselves, their families and communities”.

According to Nadiya Yanhol, C19RM Coordinator of the #SoS_project 2.0 at the Alliance for Public Health, expanding access to rapid tests for COVID-19, in parallel with vaccination, and especially against the backdrop of the emergence of the first drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, is urgently needed in the region. She shared that back in 2020, the #SoS_project team responded as quickly as possible to the COVID-19 pandemic by starting work in this direction.

“In February 2021 the first tests were delivered to Bosnia and Herzegovina to test key populations and their contacts. Seven other project countries also received tests, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and North Macedonia”. – says Nadiya. “The first results were not long in coming, as Moldova showed 11% among key groups, during outbreaks and regular waves, testing rates were incredibly high, for example, in November 2021 in Ukraine – 75% among MSM and in October 2021 in Kyrgyzstan – 56 % among KGs.”

Also, the authors of the publication “COVID Testing Equity” emphasize the importance of ensuring access to testing by governments and manufacturers. And the demand for testing, they believe, will increase significantly only if the general population and communities have access to competent resources on health literacy and the importance of regular or early testing, the benefits of using rapid testing, and the prospects for outpatient treatment. “As the HIV response has shown us, people will flock to tests when there easily deployed treatment are readily available, resulting in huge health benefits for individuals, families, health systems, and the community at large.”

Study shows how to make it easier for NGOs to use COVID-19 rapid tests

In order to expand access to relatively new rapid tests for COVID-19 in the world, it is important to take into account the existing experience, minimizing potential barriers at the “finish line” of their implementation, namely at the point of contact of tests with the target audience.

“As part of the COVID program, we are approached by representatives of NGOs and representatives of key populations with a request to provide a COVID-19 antigen for self-testing. At the community level, timely identification of clients infected with the virus is very important, because there is a risk of stopping the work of vital HIV services, if quarantine is necessary”, – said Nadiya Yanhol. “The use of tests should be as convenient and safe as possible. After all, the patient takes the analysis on his own, without the participation of the medical staff, which does not require additional material costs. This is very convenient and prevents further spread of COVID-19.”

According to her, the #SoS_project team saw certain risks in the fact that the available tests did not have individual packaging, therefore, to confirm the hypothesis, they conducted a survey among end-users of tests about the convenience of using them in non-individual packaging.

“66% of those surveyed used the test for self-testing. 55%* noted that they experienced obvious discomfort during testing, since the tests were not individually packaged. They noted that sterility is not ensured in this way due to the lack of individual packaging, which is a certain barrier”, says Nadiya. “Today, this request still remains unanswered, as it is not possible to purchase tests in individual packages on the Global Fund’s procurement platform. Also, today there are no WHO recommendations and national guidelines in the EECA countries that would recommend the use of Sars-Cov-2 Ag for self-testing. This is also why we fully support COVID Testing Equity initiated by ACT-Accelerator.”

To read the full version of the article, please follow the link.

Additionally:

The ACT-Accelerator platform was launched at the end of April 2020, at an event co-hosted by the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the President of France, the President of the European Commission, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator brings together governments, scientists, businesses, civil society, and philanthropists and global health organizations (the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI, FIND, Gavi, The Global Fund, Unitaid, Wellcome, the WHO, and the World Bank). Following the ACT-Accelerator launch, UNICEF and PAHO became delivery partners for COVAX, the vaccines pillar.

These organizations have joined forces to speed up an end to the pandemic by supporting the development and equitable distribution of the tests, treatments and vaccines the world needs to reduce mortality and severe disease, restoring full societal and economic activity globally in the near term, and facilitating high-level control of COVID-19 disease in the medium term.

Since April 2020, the ACT-Accelerator partnership, launched by WHO and partners, has supported the fastest, most coordinated, and successful global effort in history to develop tools to fight a disease, as well as such an initiative as “COVID Testing Equity”. With significant advances in research and development by academia, private sector and government initiatives, the ACT-Accelerator is on the cusp of securing a way to end the acute phase of the pandemic by deploying the tests, treatments and vaccines the world needs.

*of respondents who used the test from the general packaging for individual testing