DONOR SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGED

The country’s battle to slow down the surge of covid-19 transmission across the country would not be enhanced without vital donor support.

For this show of compassion, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Friday conveyed his appreciation on behalf of the Government to donor partners and Agencies that prepared Solomon Islands to combat the pandemic.

Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020, Solomon Islands was one of the few countries that responded quickly and decisively, placing travel restrictions, closing borders and putting in place stringent protocols to protect people.

Over the last two years, donor partners provided vital support in building health infrastructure, establishing the country’s testing capability, equipping Health networks and getting in COVID-19 medical supplies.

This has enabled the country to keep the virus away from our borders and contained imported cases within our quarantine stations

Despite these best efforts, breaches of our borders have seen the virus entered our country. It is a virus that has claimed 5.8 million lives globally. It is a virus that places unprecedented threat on any health system.

With donor support, the National Referral hospital have repurposed some sections of hospital including more isolation rooms in preparation of the unthinkable, community transmission.

Australia, China, UNICEF, New Zealand and United States have provided much needed vaccines since the battle against covid-19 began while China, Japan, Australia, ADB, Indonesia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have kept national projects going during these difficult times.

-GCU Press