COVID-19 SECOND WAVE FUND
Harnessing collective power to combat a global pandemic
Background
The massive second wave in COVID-19 infections has completely overwhelmed fragile health systems in many countries since April 2021. Hospitals ran out of beds, oxygen and personal protective equipment (PPE). Most rural areas lack proper testing facilities or healthcare infrastructure, and vaccine hesitancy remains high in many communities due to misinformation. Indeed, the pandemic’s impact is only beginning. Most low-income countries have not yet felt the full effect of COVID-19 and its emerging variants. The virus and the economic aftermath likely will push 426 million people into poverty – more than the population of the U.S. and Canada combined – and potentially reverse development progress by up to 10 years.
To counter these challenges, we must fight harder than ever. Your support to CARE’s COVID-19 Second Wave Fund has helped us provide lifelines – establishing COVID treatment centers, supporting vaccination campaigns, delivering nutritious food, and supporting economic recovery. The evolving situation has highlighted the importance of flexible funding that can be allocated quickly where it’s needed most. This report highlights some of CARE’s response activities in most-affected countries that received immediate resources through the Second Wave Fund. Overall, we allocated funding to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
CARE is on the ground in these and other countries that are struggling to hold their ground against the COVID-19 resurgence. We have integrated COVID prevention activities into existing projects around the globe, and CARE teams are hand-carrying vaccines on walking paths or making deliveries by motorcycle or boat to ensure that the lifesaving shots reach people in the hardest-to-reach communities and do not expire. Speed is of the essence, and you have helped enable that through the Second Wave Fund.
CARE’s Response
Since CARE was created 75 years ago, emergency response has been embedded in our DNA. Even before the second wave started in early 2021, we had mounted the largest emergency response in our history to combat COVID-19 and increase awareness of the escalating threat of gender-based violence during the pandemic. CARE acted fast on the frontlines in 2020, reaching 40% more people through our emergency response programming compared with 2019. Today, over a year and a half later, we are seeing the ripple effects of the pandemic on the world’s most vulnerable populations, especially women and girls. While CARE’s response has been extensive, and vaccines bring new hope, the crisis is far from over. We had set a $60 million goal for second-wave support. To date, we are at 44% of this goal ($26.3 million). Full funding is needed to sustain CARE’s response over the coming months and ensure that fast and fair vaccination initiatives reach marginalized populations.
Examples of CARE’s interventions supported by the Second Wave Fund to date include:
Bangladesh has had 1.56 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 27,531 deaths. The country went on lockdown from July-August 2021 as second-wave cases escalated. CARE has been distributing PPE to frontline health workers and community volunteers; supporting COVID care centers for patients in Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram; training government frontline health workers to improve the vaccination process; and orienting community health volunteers on vaccination registration and awareness to reduce stigma and misconceptions. Of particular concern is the Cox’s Bazar district, where 860,000 Rohingya refugees live in the world’s largest refugee camp. High population density, poor hygiene practices and unsanitary conditions are fueling the perfect environment for the virus to spread. In Cox’s Bazar, CARE is building isolation centers as well as using our existing health posts and outreach clinics to refer suspected COVID-19 cases to the isolation centers for testing and further support. Most recently, on August 1, we established a 30-bed isolation center in Camp 4, in collaboration with the government and using resources from the Second Wave Fund. Isolation centers provide separate areas for female and male patients, washrooms, solar electricity, meals, medicine, oxygen, ambulance services and 24/7 care from doctors and other health professionals. Severe cases are referred to intensive care centers for advanced treatment. Moreover, CARE’s community outreach activities in Cox’s Bazar and other districts aim to reduce vaccine hesitancy as well as build community resilience to prevent future surges.
Honduras has had 369,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths. The highest number of deaths was recorded in July 2021, as three variants are now present in the country. Hospitals are filled to capacity with serious cases, and medical supplies and PPE are running low. CARE’s immediate priority is to support 14 municipalities in the western region – the poorest part of the country with the largest indigenous population. CARE channeled Second Wave funding through our existing HOGASA (community health) project, which already was well-positioned to support communities and healthcare providers. We are strengthening service providers and health volunteers in COVID-19 prevention and surveillance; distributing lifesaving equipment and supplies to three hospitals, 14 health centers and three isolation centers; delivering hygiene kits to 2,100 vulnerable familes; designing a communications campaign to reach people through community radio stations and social media; and advocating with municipal governments to include prevention and vaccination campaigns in their plans and budgets. Overall, your support is helping the entire population in the targeted municipalities – approximately 50,000 people – with better care through protection and quality healthcare services.
Read attached report for more details.
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