Tag: FIND

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ACT-Accelerator Transition Report

The Transition Report includes a summary of achievements against each transition objective, related monitoring and coordination activities (e.g., supported by the ACT-A Tracking and Monitoring Task Force), and a Pillar-by-Pillar update on implementation progress. It reflects inputs from across the ACT-A partners as well as from recent reports and meetings, including the 3rd meeting convened by the ACT-A Council Tracking and Monitoring Task Force on 31 March 2023. 

Reflections on the way forward are provided in the final section of the report, with quarterly information (for Q4 2022 and Q1 2023) included as annexes. It also provides insights into how ACT-A partners have mainstreamed their COVID-19 work and will carry forward ongoing activities as part of their regular programmes and support.

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Third Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Tracking & Monitoring Taskforce Outcome Statement Report – 31 March 2023

This report is an outcome of the third meeting of the ACT-Accelerator Tracking and Monitoring Taskforce, held on 31st March 2023. This taskforce – co-chaired by India and the United States – continues key elements of the work of the Facilitation Council and its working groups. The report includes an outcome statement by the Co-Chairs and provides a briefing on the current status of the rollout of COVID-19 tools, including the institutional arrangements being put in place by ACT-A agencies to ensure ongoing access to COVID-19 tools.  More information on the taskforce can be found here.

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Update on the rollout of COVID-19 tools: a report from the ACT-A Tracking & Monitoring Task Force – 15 February 2023

This report is an outcome of the second meeting of the ACT-Accelerator Tracking and Monitoring Taskforce, held on 15th February 2023. This taskforce – co-chaired by India and the United States – continues key elements of the work of the Facilitation Council and its working groups. The report includes an outcome statement by the Co-Chairs and provides a briefing on the current status of the rollout of COVID-19 tools, including the institutional arrangements being put in place by ACT-A agencies to ensure ongoing access to COVID-19 tools.  More information on the taskforce can be found here.

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New online course: Implementation of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid tests

To support the response to COVID-19 and appropriate use of diagnostics in particular, WHO developed interim guidance and technical briefs to assist policy-makers and laboratories on testing for the virus that causes COVID-19, including using SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDTs. In addition, WHO developed training packages such as the  training package on SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDTs, released in November 2020, in collaboration with WHO collaborating center, FIND. In addition, an online self-learning course ‘SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic testing’ was published on the OpenWHO training platform in July 2021.

Building on these key milestone releases, WHO and FIND are now making available an online learning course to help countries to strengthen the roll-out of Ag-RDTs. The course is based on the SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDT implementation guide developed by WHO in partnership with global health stakeholders through the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The course provides an overview of the major elements that must be considered before, during and after the implementation of Ag-RDTs for SARS-CoV-2 in order to support the implementation of RDT testing across the diagnostic network

The course has been launched in English on Monday 31st January 2022 and is freely available to all interested via the OpenWHO platform.  It is hoped that this course will facilitate the roll out of Ag-RDTs by national level implementors.

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ECOVAM/ECOVAN – Improving Covid-19 screening with antigenic tests

A project to implement a COVID-19 testing strategy using rapid antigen tests was implemented in Niger and Mali in July 2021. 

This was after it became clear that case numbers were vastly underestimated. 

Background

In Mali and Niger, seroprevalence studies showed that the number of COVID-19 cases in the region was underestimated because many people were asymptomatic or showing very few symptoms.

Both countries also had very limited screening capacity, and insufficient triage to allow for efficient screening. 

PCR-testing (the gold standard for testing, but only available where there are laboratory facilities) was only available to a few facilities. 

But rapid antigen tests have provided an opportunity for health workers to detect, isolate and manage COVID-19 cases.

New project

The ECOVAM – ECOVAN project implemented a screening strategy using rapid antigen testing for patients at different levels of healthcare. 

It also evaluated the cost-effectiveness and acceptability of this screening strategy among patients, caregivers, and government decision makers. 

The project was launched in Mali and Niger and started with the procurement of 10 000 antigen tests funded by FIND.

It will evaluate the capacity of healthcare workers to perform rapid antigen tests and also use the data generated by the tests to provide information to the respective governments to make a decision on integrating antigen testing into their national COVID-19 strategies.

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Testing for COVID-19 using antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) in Ethiopia

FIND is working closely with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and other ACT-Accelerator partners to make access to quality, affordable COVID-19 rapid tests a reality.

This video illustrates the value of rapid testing to strengthen national COVID-19 responses through decentralized, community-based testing approaches.

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Current testing tools uncompromised by new COVID-19 variant of concern Omicron (B.1.1.529)

Available diagnostics do pick up Omicron infections

In November 2021 a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified. 

The World Health Organization declared it a variant of concern, especially as it is more transmissible than the variants that preceded it. 

There were initial concerns that Omicron would also evade testing, as some PCR tests did not pick up the virus because it had a deletion in one of its genes. 

However, the other PCR gene targets were still identified. 

At the time FIND conducted a rapid assessment of available evidence and also confirmed that rapid antigen tests would still pick up an Omicron infection. 

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New FIND partnerships make COVID-19 rapid tests available to refugees and internally displaced people in the Middle East

In March 2022, FIND announced two new partnerships with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to implement rapid antigen testing among vulnerable groups in the Middle East.

Rapid antigen tests detect a protein that is produced by the body in response to infection with SARS-CoV-2. 

It is a low cost tool that produces fast results in low-resource settings, but access to these tests has been limited in some parts of the world.

In areas such as the Middle East, for example, there has been considerable displacement due to conflict and humanitarian emergencies .

The Syrian crisis has forced 6.9 million people from their homes within the country and created 5.7 million refugees in the wider region. This fragile situation was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and  a shortage of testing capacity in an already vulnerable community of refugees and displaced people.

Access to rapid antigen tests was urgently needed.

The new partnership deployed 100,000 COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and northern Syria. 

The project will build local capacity to use the tests effectively and train healthcare workers, and also aims to develop testing algorithms.

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FIND and Unitaid invest US$ 50 million to speed lifesaving testing and treatment solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic’s frontlines

To strengthen the frontline response against COVID-19 in several low- and middle-income countries, FIND and Unitaid made grants available in November 2021 to enhance testing and treatment. 

The grants aimed to contain the ongoing spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, improve access to diagnostic tests and treatment and build capacity for programmes to test, trace and isolate patients with COVID-19. 

The grants also addressed access inequality to tests and treatment and targeted countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Western Pacific, where testing capacity was insufficient and life-saving treatments were practically unavailable. 

Another aim of the grants is to generate evidence to strengthen World Health Organization (WHO) policies and guidelines. 

The grants will generate high-quality evidence to inform  WHO  guidelines and national policies addressing the optimal approaches to scaling new testing and treatment solutions.

The importance of combining testing and treating was underscored by the development of new oral antivirals, such as molnupiravir, as these are simple to use and deliver to healthcare settings, and less expensive to produce. Developing this strong link is essential when effective medication becomes available. 

The grants will use existing laboratory and testing networks to offer additional testing options, such as simple, accurate, and affordable antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) and COVID-19 self-tests. 

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RFP: Community-Based Applications of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Tests (Ag RDTs) for Timely and Effective Public Health Response

Health Poverty Action Visiting Hospitals at Kompong Chhnang & Battambong Province

Testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential for the control of COVID-19, enabling epidemiological surveillance and implementation of public health measures. At the community level, swift identification and isolation of new cases, combined with contact tracing, are important tools for controlling virus transmission.

In December 2021, FIND’s Global Health Security (GHS) Operational Research (OR) team commissioned 17 community-based SARS-CoV-2 testing approaches in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The selection process was highly competitive as it became widely recognized among public health specialists that a health center-based approach was insufficient with regards to reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission within communities. The proposals selected all demonstrated a clear community-based strategy for using SARS-CoV-2 antigen diagnostic tests for a timely and effective public health response.

The studies commissioned took place in 13 countries: Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Cameroon, Zambia, Kenya, Thailand, Suriname, Mozambique, South Africa, Mali, and Tanzania. More information on the outcomes of these research studies will be available in 2023.