U.S. supports Thailand with personal protective equipment and additional assistance through USAID in response to COVID-19

On 20 March 2020, the U.S. Government announced nearly $2 million in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID-RDMA) to expand U.S. support for Thailand in response to the global spread of COVID-19.  This support builds upon ongoing USAID and other U.S. Government investments in health development, particularly those aimed at building the capacity to prevent, detect and respond to infectious diseases. Specifically, $700,000 will be implemented through the World Health Organization (WHO), $329,000 through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and $800,000 through the Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) project, which collectively contribute to the U.S. Government’s Global Health Security Strategy. 

Additionally, on 9 March 2020, USAID-RDMA Mission Director Peter A. Malnak handed over personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Public Health in as part of the U.S. assistance to Thailand to respond to COVID-19. The equipment includes 10,000 gloves, 5,000 surgical masks, 5,000 surgical gowns, 5,000 respirator masks, 5,000 shoe covers, 5,100 surgical caps, 2,500 face shields, and 500 protective goggles. The Royal Thai Government will distribute this equipment to health clinics in areas in greatest need of the supplies. 

Over more than 60 years of cooperation on health programs through USAID, the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medicinal Sciences (AFRIMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. works with Thailand to safeguard the health of Thai , American and international communities. In addition to this emergency assistance and broader coordination on COVID-19 diagnostic capacity across the ASEAN region, the United States works in close partnership with the Royal Thai Government on a range of programs to combat infectious diseases in the region, including a decade of cooperation in a campaign against avian influenza and Global Health Security programs.

photo credit: USAID-RDMA