As vaccines are rolled out globally, testing remains a critical way to manage and monitor COVID-19 outbreaks. Without testing, we cannot track or contain the spread of the virus, address urgent clinical needs, refer patients for treatment, test the efficacy of vaccination, and detect the emergence of new variants. 

A combination of different types of tests are needed to facilitate patient management and public health planning for effective control of COVID-19. The Global Fund encourages countries to include all appropriate types of tests when developing their COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19 RM) funding proposals. 

This information note provides a breakdown of the different types of COVID-19 tests available at the time.